Breaking: Duke University President Calls for ‘Full Repeal’ of North Carolina Anti-LGBT Law HB2

‘We Urge a Full Repeal of HB2’

Richard Brodhead, the President of Duke University, has just issued a statement urging North Carolina to repeal fully HB2, the highly-controversial anti-LGBT law legal experts have called “unconstitutional.” 

“We deplore in the strongest possible terms the new state law, HB2, that prevents municipalities from establishing laws that protect members of the LGBTQ+ community and others from discrimination and eliminates some economic advancement opportunities for underrepresented communities,” the strong statement reads.

It notes the “damage” North Carolina has “suffered” because of HB2, to “its national and international reputation as a leader in the fair treatment of its citizens.”

“Scholars from states and municipalities that have imposed bans on government travel to North Carolina have been unable to travel to Duke to continue vital ongoing research partnerships or attend academic conferences. Prospective students, faculty and staff, as well as Duke alumni planning visits to campus, have voiced concerns about whether they will find a hospitable environment in North Carolina. These developments have the potential to limit the value that Duke and other colleges and universities contribute to the state, namely producing trained graduates and expanding the frontiers of knowledge.”

It concludes, “this new law runs counter to the ideals of Duke University — and, we believe, to those of our great state. We urge a full repeal of HB2.”

The statement is also signed by Provost Duke University Sally Kornbluth and A. Eugene Washington, Duke’s Chancellor for Health Affairs and President and CEO of the Duke University Health System.

Duke University, established in 1838, is a powerful institution in North Carolina, and has a $7.3 billion endowment and a $4.5 billion annual budget.

The strong statement comes as a powerful blow to the Republican leadership in the General Assembly and especially to Gov. Pat McCrory, coming just one day after his fateful “Meet the Press” interview and after weeks of defending HB2, while calling its opponents poorly-informed. 

 

Image via Twitter