Christian leaders slam NBA head for demanding HB2 repeal in North Carolina
At least two Christian leaders have criticized Adam Silver of the National Basketball Association for standing up against North Carolina's bathroom policy, intimating that he's a bully and a hypocrite.
"We believe the hypocrisy and bullying of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is so stunning we have no choice but to call him out on it," Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, told LifeSiteNews. "Many Americans are sick and tired of being mocked and ridiculed by sexual radicals - and now they are being threatened by the NBA!"
Last month, Silver said that the All-Star Game will not be held in Charlotte, North Carolina next year unless the state's government repeals House Bill 2, the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, also called, among other names, the "bathroom privacy law." It prevents people from using restrooms that do not correspond to their birth gender.
"We've been, I think, crystal clear that we believe a change in the law is necessary for us to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event," he said, as quoted by SFGate.
Silver expressed that dialogue is more important than setting an ultimatum, and since the event is still months away, no decision has been made. His point is that HB2, which limits the protection of the LGBT community from discrimination, is "problematic" for the league.
Wildmon, however, said that Silver should make a survey before he carries out his threat.
"Perhaps Commissioner Silver should survey NBA fans or even the players themselves and ask how many of them are okay with men walking into women's bathrooms while wives and daughters are in there?" Wildmon said. "Then he might get a glimpse of how fringe his views really are."
Southern Evangelical Seminary president Dr. Richard Land shares the same opinon as Wildmon. He told LifeSiteNews that it's hypocrisy, the way the NBA is threatening North Carolina for its bathroom laws and yet "wants to expand its product around the globe in countries where homosexuality is illegal."
"I have a message for the NBA," Dr. Land said. "North Carolina and its values are not for sale to the highest bidder, and we are not going to be intimidated or bullied by a sports conglomerate."
He said that Christian athletes should follow their own conscience regarding this kind of issues, and they ought to have the freedom to express their views as well as live out their religious beliefs.