RALEIGH, N.C.— Strong reactions to the N.B.A.’s decision to move the All Star Game out of North Carolina because of the state’s controversial House Bill 2 law, are coming from civil rights groups.

In Washington, D.C., Wade Henderson, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human rights, says, “We applaud the NBA for doing the right thing by its fans, its players and employees, and the people of North Carolina.  When a powerful institution like the NBA takes a stand in support of civil and human rights, that action reverberates far beyond its immediate impact and helps to shape our nation’s values and culture of inclusion.

We also hope that it reverberates at the WNBA, which recently fined its players and teams for taking a stand for the Black Lives Matter movement. We applaud those players for following in the grand tradition of athletes who use their standing as a platform for change.”

Henderson added, “North Carolina’s governor has fallen on his sword in defense of HB2. The state has sacrificed jobs, its economic security, its standing in the nation, and now its credibility as a welcoming events venue. We urge Governor McCrory and the state legislature to repeal HB2 immediately to show the world that North Carolina won’t forever be stuck in the past.”

Also out of Washington, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, and Equality NC, the statewide organization for LGBTQ North Carolinians, hailed the NBA’s decision to stand up to North Carolina lawmakers who refused to repeal HB2 by pulling its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte,

“The NBA and Commissioner Silver sent a clear message that they won’t stand for discrimination against LGBTQ employees, players or fans,” said H.R.C. President Chad Griffin. 

“The NBA repeatedly warned state lawmakers that their hateful HB2 law created an inhospitable environment for their 2017 All-Star Game and other events. Nevertheless, Governor McCrory, Senator Berger and Speaker Moore doubled down on HB2 and refused to undo their discriminatory and costly error in judgment. Every day that HB2 remains on the books, people across North Carolina are at risk of real harm. We appreciate the leadership of the NBA in standing up for equality and call once again on lawmakers to repeal this vile HB2 law.”

In addition a women’s advocacy group called UltraViolet praised the N.B.A.’s decision. Nita Chaudhary, the group’s co- founder, says, “We applaud Commissioner Silver for finally listening to the thousands of NBA fans who have spoken out against HB2 and for taking a strong stand against discrimination by moving the 2017 NBA All-Star Game to a state where people in the LGBTQ community are not subject to overt harassment and hate.

“The NBA’s decision sends a clear signal to lawmakers around the country that enshrining hate and discrimination into law will never be tolerated or rewarded by professional athletics or the business community.”

“The ball is now in the court of North Carolina state legislators, and the nation is watching.”

Since the passage of HB2 earlier this year, UltraViolet organized 45,000 members to sign a petition calling on the N.B.A. to move the 2017 All-Star Game out of North Carolina.