Governor Roy Cooper has wasted little time making his presence felt after his narrow victory over former Governor Pat McCrory. With the recent repeal of the controversial HB2 bill that caused a backlash across the country, it’s safe to say that things are looking up for the citizens of North Carolina.
As a Democratic voter at heart, I strongly supported Gov. Cooper’s views throughout his race and felt as if his win were a silver lining in the wake of a presidential election that left many disappointed. One of the most important issues on the table upon his victory was this bill. The legislation that had been set in place was clearly discriminatory and a repeal seemed inevitable with Gov. Cooper in charge.
While the repeal isn’t ideal and still flawed, it’s a step in the right direction in terms of equality for every individual in the state of North Carolina. There are many people who say that the repeal doesn’t go far enough and, while I agree, Gov. Cooper has vowed to continue working on improvements. HB2 held the state captive and limiting business, notably the NCAA taking the initiative to ban events in the state as a result.
Sportsis one a key part of the college experience. Whether you’re a current student or an alumnus, you are united with other past and present students by pride in sports teams – and rivalries with other teams. This is especially true in North Carolina, which has a prestigious reputation when it comes to college sports teams – including the recently crowned national basketball champions, the Carolina Tar Heels. Yet HB2 kept every single game out of the state during the NCAA tournament.
With this repeal, however, the NCAA has lifted the ban of these events, bringing that spirit – and business – back to the state. Let’s hope the repeal is made complete in the near future.
