Straying from the norm of giving personal advice while acknowledging some would disagree, CNN political analyst David Gergen blasted North Carolina's Republican Party during his Elon University Commencement address Saturday, calling for the repeal of the highly controversial House Bill 2.

He spoke of how far North Carolina had come from when Gergen grew up in the state, when racism was prevalent and industries were poor, only to go "backwards" with legislation like HB2.

"We are not only damaging our reputation, but putting our fellow citizens at risk," Gergen said.

HB2, signed into law by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory in March and otherwise known as the "bathroom bill," allows for discrimination of those who identify as LGBTQIA and requires transgender people to use the bathroom of their biological sex, among many other things.

It's garnered national attention as performers like Bruce Springsteen and Maroon 5 have canceled shows and companies have moved offices out of the state in protest of the law.

Gergen, who served as an adviser to four U.S. presidents, added to that conversation, saying that a "new, mean-spirited, extremist politics" has overtaken the state and saying a solution is to repeal HB2. 

"This is not the North Carolina that we all loved," Gergen said, "a North Carolina dedicated to equal opportunity and a growing, inclusive prosperity."

MORE: Read the full text of Gergen's speech here

Days after the passing of HB2, Elon University released a statement reaffirming its commitment to inclusivity. President Leo Lambert wrote a letter to the editor of the Burlington Times-News, calling HB2 "stunning and disappointing."

SGA and the faculty each passed their own resolution condemning the bill, a piece of legislation that Gergen said made him "incredibly disappointed and heartbroken."

Gergen encouraged the Class of 2016 to get involved in the fight for equality and not "stay on the sidelines." He referenced how South Carolina's Republican Governor, Nikki Haley, removed the Confederate flag from the statehouse, how Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, also a Republican, vetoed a transgender bill and how this week conservative Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed a bill that would make abortion a felony.

"We need to take North Carolina back," Gergen said.