Advertisement

49ers' Jed York speaks out against North Carolina bathroom law

Several musical acts have refused to perform in North Carolina in recent weeks due to its much-debated bathroom bill, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said the league will not hold the 2017 All-Star game in Charlotte if the discriminitory bill is not repealed.

And this week, the San Francisco 49ers and CEO Jed York expressed support for the state's LGBTQ community while in Charlotte for the NFL spring owners meetings.

Passed on March 23, North Carolina House Bill 2 (or HB2) reversed a Charlotte ordinance allowing transgendered individuals to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with; HB2 mandates that transgendered individuals must use the bathroom of the gender listed on their birth certificate and also prevents cities and towns in the state from passing laws that say otherswise.

49ers owner Jed York spoke out against North Carolina's bathroom law. (AP)
49ers owner Jed York spoke out against North Carolina's bathroom law. (AP)

Via the Sacramento Bee, in a statement released through Equity North Carolina, York said, "Discrimination is wrong, and we believe it has no place in North Carolina or anywhere in our country. As an organization that prides ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to all, we strongly urge Governor Pat McCrory and the leadership of North Carolina’s legislature to repeal this law in the current legislative session.”

The 49ers play the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sept. 18; San Francisco is not expected to boycott the game, and Equality North Carolina does not want it to boycott.

“I think that Jed is really showing some leadership here, and the 49ers are showing some leadership here from the fact that they’re willing to say, ‘Yes, we’re coming here. But we’re going to make an impact when we come here,’ ” said Matt Hirschy, director of advancement for Equality North Carolina. “And that’s what we’re really encouraging everybody to do.”

And York's support didn't stop at a statement. He and other team officials met with Hirschy, other members of Equality North Carolina as well as members of Charlotte's trangendered community for dinner in Charlotte on Monday night.

“They approached us, and they said, ‘Hey, we’re coming to North Carolina for this meeting and we want to talk with you about this bill and how it impacts LGBT North Carolinians,’ ” Hirschy said. “’We want to meet the people that it affects. And we want to make an impact when we come.’”


York also made a $75,000 donation to Equality North Carolina.