Maroon 5 Cancels North Carolina Shows Due To Bathroom Bill HB2
Maroon 5 is the latest musical act to protest North Carolina’s HB2, or “the bathroom bill.”
Today (May 20), the band canceled its September concerts in Charlotte and Raleigh due to the bill’s passage. “This was a difficult decision for us to make as a band,” Maroon 5 says in a statement. “We don’t want to penalize our fans in North Carolina by not performing for them, but in the end it comes down to what we feel is morally right.”
The bill orders that people use the restroom designated for their biological sex, as “stated on a person’s birth certificate.”
The most popular Facebook response to Maroon 5’s announcement is from an ex-fan who says, “Sadly, the predators who are already using this as an excuse to have access to victims are the ones really winning here.” This echoes a common argument from those in favor of HB2, despite there being no such case of someone using an LGBT-positive law to sneak into a bathroom.
Maroon 5 joins the ranks of Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas in canceling their North Carolina concerts in protest. Beyonce performed there as scheduled, though she issued a statement ridiculing the bill afterwards. See Maroon 5’s statement in full below.
[via Vulture]
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