The NBA announced Thursday evening that the league has opted to move the NBA All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina, in response to ongoing criticism of North Carolinas HB2, a controversial law that most notably requires that people use bathrooms in publicly funded spaces that reflect the gender associated with the biological sex on their birth certificates. Wayne Gretzky Jersey .The decision has been lauded by LGBTQ advocates as a progressive step by the NBA, especially when organizations such as the NFL and NCAA each had similar opportunities to send messages through moving events, but opted not to.The NBA has exercised strong leadership when it comes to their values of diversity and inclusion, particularly for LGBTQ people, said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Charlotte based LGBTQ advocacy organization Campus Pride, in a phone interview. The NBA gave fair warning that if North Carolina did not repeal the law, they would not bring their business. They gave them time to do it, and the responsibility really lies at the feet of the legislature.HB2 has come under fire specifically due to its aggressive stance towards discriminating toward transgender individuals, something that North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory still refutes.The sports and entertainment elite, Attorney General Roy Cooper and the liberal media have for months misrepresented our laws and maligned the people of North Carolina simply because most people believe boys and girls should be able to use school bathrooms, locker rooms and showers without the opposite sex present, McCrory said in a statement.However, his statement demonstrates his lack of fundamental understanding about trans people. The continuing attacks on transgender identity, particularly trans women, are rooted in an irrational fear that men will dress as women to gain access to female spaces in the name of transgender inclusion. Not only is there no documented case of that happening anywhere in the country, but his misunderstanding of transgender identity opens up all gender non-conforming people to discrimination. The NBAs announcement is a direct condemnation of the climate created by this law, and a tacit tip of the cap to the transgender community -- something not unnoticed by trans athletes.A lot of organizations say that they value diversity and inclusion, but the NBA has taken a very impactful stance, Chris Mosier, transgender athlete and executive director of GO! Athletes, said via text message. Other organizations should consider following in the NBAs footsteps to protect their athletes and fans. Most notably, I think the NCAA should take a hard look at the future of championship games and events held in the state.Where the NBA decides to put the 2017 All-Star Game, however, is just as important as the decision to remove it from North Carolina. The requirement for being relatively LGBTQ friendly is messy and clearly hasnt been a historical consideration. The NBA has established a far from simple precedent: what is the threshold for discrimination that bars a city from hosting the All-Star Game?Since 2003, the NBA All-Star Game has been held in nine states and one Canadian province. Eight of these states -- Georgia (2003), Colorado (2005), Texas (2006, 2010, 2013), Nevada (2007), Louisiana (2008, 2014), Arizona (2009), Florida (2012) and New York (2015) -- did not have statewide protections on the basis of gender identity and expression. And of the cities that played host, only Los Angeles, Denver and New Orleans had local protections for trans people.As the news of this impending announcement from the NBA has been brewing, reports from ESPN and The Vertical indicate that New Orleans is a frontrunner to receive the game. While North Carolina is certainly unfriendly, Louisiana is not exactly a beacon of LGBTQ equality.Even though anti-sodomy laws -- which criminalized sexual activity between same-sex partners -- were declared unconstitutional in 2003 by the Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, Louisiana not only continues to have the statute on the books, but voted overwhelmingly in favor of keeping it there in 2014. Although New Orleans has an LGBTQ anti-discrimination ordinance, Louisiana lacks protections for LGBTQ individuals through statewide legislation. Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards enacted LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections through executive order in April, but those only apply to state contractors.Chicago and New York/Brooklyn have also been named as possibilities, and both Illinois and New York have anti-discrimination statutes that are inclusive of transgender people.The NBA reserves the right to change its mind, and the particular case of the anti-trans aggression within HB2 seemed to be the breaking point of the league. Even with this grandiose move, relocating the All-Star Game still rings a bit hollow when considering the fact that the NBA could do more.Another option for the NBA is to recognize that North Carolina needs help, Windmeyer said. If anything, the NBA could think about how could we help North Carolina get the education and visibility through organizations like Campus Pride and other local and statewide organizations that are living and breathing here?Giving credit where credit is due, the NBA and WNBA are the only two professional leagues to march in a Pride parade as they did in New York in June. The NBA also sold T-shirts for LGBTQ Pride Month, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The WNBA is the only professional sports league, men or women, with a league-wide LGBTQ Pride initiative, which began in 2014.More, however, still needs to be done. The NBA could require LGBTQ education for all of its coaches, clear down to its youth leagues. The league could also encourage stadiums to include gender-inclusive restrooms with arena renovations. Additionally, the league could enact a transgender inclusive policy for its youth leagues, and push for legislation within states that could make passing these discriminatory provisions more difficult.Moving the All-Star Game is a great step, and hopefully its a sign of things to come from the league. They should be applauded for taking a stand, but frankly it was politically expedient for them to do so. When the league moves beyond the symbolism and into the realm of actionable change, that will be a day to truly celebrate. Luke Opilka Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Vladimir Sobotka Jersey . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. http://www.nhlbluesauthority.com/ . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. NEW YORK -- Bill Laimbeer wasnt surprised his star center reached another milestone so early in her career.Tina Charles scored 23 points, including her 4000th, to help New York beat Phoenix 92-70 on Saturday night.We talk about inside that shes the best post player in the world, men or women. the Liberty coach said. Shes that consistent and that dominant. Theres more to her that were waiting to see.Charles, who also had 15 rebounds, became the sixth-fastest player in WNBA history to reach that milestone and helped move the Liberty closer to clinching at least the third seed in the playoffs. One more victory will assure New York of a bye in the first round and a home game in the second.New York (20-9) got off to a slow start, missing its first seven shots. The Liberty led 13-12 with just over four minutes left in the first quarter before outscoring Phoenix 16-2 the rest of the period. Charles had nine of the teams points during that burst.Phoenix (13-16), which lost in Connecticut on Friday night, was down 26 points in the third quarter before rallying within 11 early in the fourth quarter. The Mercury could get no closer.They played better, bottom line, Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi said. Not tired, no nothing. They were better than us today.New York led by 14 at the half and blew the game open early in the third as frustration was setting in for the Mercury. After Taurasi drew contact on a play, but no foul was called, assistant ccoach Todd Troxel was ejected for arguing with the officials. Colton Parayko Jersey. That seemed to spark Phoenix, which trailed 68-42 at that point. The Mercury scored 13 of the next 16 to close within 71-55 after three.Phoenix got within 73-62 early in the final period, but Charles hit a basket, and then a three-point play by Brittany Boyd sealed the win. Boyd finished with a season-high 19 points, starting in place of Tanisha Wright (knee). New York, which has won 20 games in consecutive seasons, also was without Shoni Schimmel (concussion) and Kiah Stokes (hip).Laimbeer said he didnt expect Stokes to play the rest of the regular season, but he was hopeful to have Wright back at some point soon. He wasnt sure about Schimmels status since concussions are trickier to predict.Marta Xargay led the Mercury with 16 points and DeWanna Bonner added 15.Charles reached 4,000 points on a three-point play late in the second quarter. Shes the 29th player to achieve that mark and is the third youngest according to Elias Sports Bureau. The Liberty honored Charles, Taurasi and Brittney Griner before the game for helping the U.S. win a gold medal at the Rio Olympics. New York also honored Penny Taylor, who is retiring at the end of the season.It was nice, Taylor said. I try not to think about it and just play the games we have left. Cheap Soccer Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Hockey JerseysNike NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Nike MLB Jerseys ChinaWholesale Baseball Jerseys ChinaWholesale College JerseysCheap Jerseys From ChinaWholesale Jerseys Near MeCheap Jerseys OnlineCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticCheap Nike NFL Jerseys AuthenticCheap Soccer Jerseys ChinaCheap NCAA Jerseys AuthenticCheap Nike NBA JerseysCheap NHL Jerseys AuthenticMLB Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Throwback JerseysCheap Nike NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '