ACC commissioner: No decision on pulling events from North Carolina
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ACC commissioner John Swofford has not made a decision on whether or not the conference will pull any events from North Carolina as a result of the HB2 legislation against transgender people in the state, according to ESPN’s Andrea Adelson.
North Carolina passed a law requiring public school and university students to use public bathrooms according to the gender stated on their birth certificates. The law has been criticized as being anti-LGBT.
“As long as that venue and city can provide us with a statement of fairness and non-discrimination in every respect and assure that our student-athletes and fans and everybody associated with the event will be treated in a non-discriminatory way, then we will maintain the commitments that we have,” Swofford said.
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The conference issued the following statement:
“The Atlantic Coast Conference and its member institutions remain committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Discrimination in any form has no place in higher education and college athletics, and the safe and respectful treatment of student-athletes, coaches and fans regardless of gender, will remain a priority. During the 2016 ACC Spring Meetings, the leagues faculty athletics representatives, athletic directors, senior women administrators and student-athlete representatives discussed North Carolina’s HB2 and its effects.
“The membership strongly supports the league continuing to engage at the highest levels regarding the effects of this law on its constituents as it evaluates current and future events and championships within the state of North Carolina. The league will also require commitments to provide safe and inclusive environments from sites for which there are current commitments for ACC Championships.”
The ACC Baseball Championships will be held in Durham, N.C. later this month. The ACC Football Championship Game is slated to be played in Charlotte in December.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver called the legislation “problematic” for the league, which will hold the All-Star Game in Charlotte next year.
