Black Bears to wear anti-HB2 law shirts

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

The Maine Black Bears have a game with the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday in North Carolina. Before the game, they’ll wear t-shirts that will protest against the State’s House Bill 2 law.

The law has been criticized by a lot of people — but it’s still in place. Even the NCAA said it was pulling championship games from the state because of it.

A sign protesting a recent North Carolina law restricting transgender bathroom access adorns the bathroom stalls at the 21C Museum Hotel in Durham, North Carolina on May 3, 2016. (REUTERS/Jonathan Drake)

House Bill 2 law limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The law says, “the people have to use the public restroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificate.”

The Black Bears will use black and rainbow-themed shirts as they warm up. The shirts will also be in coordinates with the You Can Play and support the American East Conference.

“It’s one thing to boycott or not show up because of the financial impact and the message that would send,” Chris Mosier, You Can Play’s vice president of program development and community relations, said to USA Today. “But they wanted to be visible and the biggest thing is they want to take the next step.

“It’s not just wearing a pin or a patch or a short. They want to be better allies. And they would have done this weather it was Duke or any North Carolina institution because (HB2) doesn’t align with their values.”