Fansided

University of Maine will protest transphobia and HB2 before Duke game

ByIan Levy|
Jun 18, 2016; Commerce City, CO, USA; A fan flies a rainbow flag in the second half of the match between the Colorado Rapids and the Chicago Fire at Dick
Jun 18, 2016; Commerce City, CO, USA; A fan flies a rainbow flag in the second half of the match between the Colorado Rapids and the Chicago Fire at Dick

The University of Maine men’s basketball team will quietly protest North Carolina’s controversial HB2 law with rainbow warm-up shirts before their game against Duke University.

The controversial HB2 law was passed in North Carolina earlier this year, which among other things, requires all people in public buildings to use bathrooms that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificate as well as preventing local municipalities from passing anti-discrimination ordinances to protect LGBTQ communities. This law has been widely criticized around the country as transphobic and it has already cost the state of North Carolina financially.

The NBA was originally scheduled to hold their All-Star weekend in Charlotte this February, but opted to relocate to New Orleans after the state refused change the law. The NCAA has also moved seven championship events out of the state, including part of the March Madness tournament. In addition, many businesses have participated in a boycott of the contracts with the state government.

USAToday reported that the University of Maine basketball team will also make the views clear, by wearing these rainbow-colored warm-up shirts before their game tonight against Duke University.

Boycotting the game itself is not feasible for the Maine basketball program so, with the support of the America East Conference (whose logo appears on the shirt), they found another way to make their opinions known. You Can Play, an anti-transphobia and homophobia organization, helped organize the symbolic protest. If the shirts look familiar, it may be because the NBA also sold a similar t-shirt line for Pride Month last June, each NBA team’s logo in rainbow colors against a black background.

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The Maine Black Bears are likely headed for a significant loss to the Blue Devils, who are currently ranked No. 5 in the country in the latest AP Poll. Whatever the final margin is, the Black Bears will have made a statement.