Target: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
Goal: Applaud decision to move the 2017 NBA All-Star Game from North Carolina over bigoted state legislation.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) will not be holding the 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina so long as the state’s infamous “bathroom bill” remains in effect. At a recent press event, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called the law “problematic” and spoke of his decision to move the event if the North Carolina legislature continues to enforce the bigoted law: “We’ve been, I think, crystal clear a change in the law is necessary for us to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event.”
The NBA is one of many institutions that expressed concern and resentment toward the North Carolina “bathroom bill,” which requires transgender people to use the restroom that corresponds to the gender they were assigned at birth and keeps cities within the state from adopting anti-discrimination measures that protect the LGBT community. Several companies, pundits, politicians, and social activists (like those here on ForceChange) worked diligently to keep the spotlight on the North Carolina legislature and hold them accountable for the passage of such a prejudicial and destructive law.
Commissioner Adam Silver’s decision to move the 2017 NBA All-Star Game from Charlotte, effectively making a stand against bigoted legislation in a way that matters to the state of North Carolina, is a decision to applaud. The NBA is an inclusive institution with inclusive values and Commissioner Silver’s move is the embodiment of those values. Sign the petition and let Commissioner Silver know he made the right decision, the human decision, and that you stand with him.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Commissioner Silver,
I am writing to tip my hat to you and express my joy and support for your stand against bigotry and oppression. Your decision to deliver an ultimatum to the government of North Carolina couldn’t have been an easy decision to make, considering the game of basketball’s rich history in the state. But some things are more important than tradition and precedent and your decision to move the 2017 NBA All-Star Game away from a place that is deliberately and maliciously maligning people for reasons of prejudice is a decision worth celebrating.
Basketball fans come in all colors, genders, and sexual orientations and the decision to move the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte if the state government refuses to strike down the “bathroom bill” is to say that all basketball fans, even those in the LGBT community, are worth the support and are loved back by the institution they love themselves. The “bathroom bill” is hateful and dangerous to a group of people who, at their core, are no different than anyone else.
Your decision to side with humanity and not bigotry is not a decision to be soon forgotten and I just wanted to take the time to thank you for this decision. The world is a better place for it.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Keith Allison
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