NOLA Will Host NBA All Star Game
You may remember the announcement in July that the NBA decided to move the 2017 All Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina because of the passing of North Carolina House Bill 2 (Read the HL blog here). The bill, now law, eliminates anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community and prohibits transgender individuals from using bathrooms in public buildings that do not match their birth gender.
The decision to move the All Star Game started with Rick Welts, President of the Golden State Warriors, who is a member of the LGBT community. At the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting in early July, he told league owners that he would not feel comfortable attending the All Star Game in Charlotte because of the passage of House Bill 2. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also announced that week that the North Carolina law was “in conflict with our core values…” and because of that, the league questioned the location of the All Star game.
On July 21, it was officially announced that the NBA was moving the All Star Game. Other NBA cities now had the chance to submit bids to host the game. What’s normally an eight month process, New Orleans competed in twenty-nine days. On August 19, Commissioner Silver advised New Orleans that their bid was accepted and called the city “a world class destination for sports and entertainment.”
The move to New Orleans also stands out for another reason. While North Carolina removed anti-discrimination
Hayden’s List would like to thank New Orleans for being so welcoming to the LGBTQ community. Do you agree that NOLA is LGBT friendly? Check out New Orleans reviews here or submit one and let us know in the comments.
Tags: Adam Silver, All-Star Game, Basketball, Charlotte, Golden State Warriors, Gov. John Bel Edwards, House Bill 2, LGBT, LGBTQ, Louisiana, NBA, NBA Commissioner, New Orleans, NOLA, North Carolina, Rick Welts