Barbara Richie Pond: Stay on court, out of politics
In response to the July 22 news story “NBA pulls All-Star Game out of N.C. over HB2”: The last time I looked at my State Constitution, the right to legislate in North Carolina belonged to the N.C. General Assembly, while the governor was empowered to govern, and the courts were empowered to interpret law.
The NBA, ACC and NCAA are not my elected officials. They have no right to dictate the laws of my state. They don’t get to decide if my 2-year-old great-granddaughter has to go to the bathroom with men. I dictate that at the polls when I elect my state legislators.
House Bill 2 is not about bathrooms. It is about privacy and safety. It’s not about NC Equality, a special interest group. It’s about all the people of North Carolina. Transgenders did not lose their rights.
Repeal of HB2 would cause my 2-year-old great-granddaughter to lose her rights to safety and privacy.
Men of any stripe (straight, gay, bisexual, transgender) have never had the right to use women’s bathrooms in North Carolina.
I spent my whole young life at the Dixie Classics. I am ashamed of the ACC, NBA and NCAA. Get out of the political arena and get back on the court.
Barbara Richie Pond
Raeford
This story was originally published July 30, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Barbara Richie Pond: Stay on court, out of politics."