Charles Barkley takes a stance on All-Star game in North Carolina
Charles Barkley adds his voice to the debate about the NBA All-Star game in a state hostile to a particular group of Americans, gay Americans. North Carolina recently passed HB2.
The North Carolina law created a mandatory statewide anti-discrimination policy, but it did not include specific protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The law prohibits transgender people from using public bathrooms that do not match the sexes on their birth certificates.
North Carolina has begun to feel the sting for their intolerant prejudice law.
The Obama administration is considering whether North Carolina’s new law on gay and transgender rights makes the state ineligible for billions of dollars in federal aid for schools, highways and housing, officials said Friday. … [source]
The consequences to North Carolina, its economics, and its reputation as an inclusive state are piling up. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit. The entertainment company Lionsgate has relocated a television series. The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, is asking North Carolina businesses to move to the Windy City in order to avoid controversy. [source]
Charles Barkley is advising the NBA to move the All-Star game our of Charlotte North Carolina. “I think the NBA should move the All-Star game from there next year,” Barkley said. “You know, as a black person, I am against any form of discrimination, against whites, Hispanics, gays, lesbians. However, you want to phrase it. It is my job with the position of power that I am in, to be able to be on television, I am supposed to stand up for the people who can’t stand up for themselves. So I think the NBA should move the game from Charlotte. .. I know Atlanta wants to host it. But they should move it out of Charlotte.”
Barkley’s message is more important than meets the eye. Why? There is a dirty little secret is the black community. I wrote about this when Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) failed in Houston, Texas.
While HERO was defeated by a 61 to 39% margin, in predominantly black districts it was defeated by a 72% to 28% margin. It is expected that those who have not been discriminated against and have displayed little empathy for the plight of the poor, disenfranchised, or the other, would willfully allow themselves to believe the anti-HERO perverted ads. For those who have been discriminated against it requires something deeper, something more profound.
When folks like Barkley openly come out against any kind of discrimination, it helps enlighten minds. As black man associated with a high degree of machismo, it is even more valuable.
Barkley also had a message for those who believe an athlete does not have the right to comment on prescient issues. “I don’t disparage other guys,” Barkley said. “But you see guys on television talking about sports who never touched a ball in their life. And we listen to their opinion.” He said he gets offended when his opinion is not valued like everyone else.
Everyone has a right to grant an opinion. Every opinion should be respected based on it being fact based.