The Boss Says No to North Carolina

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have canceled their Sunday night concert in Greensboro, North Carolina to protest the state’s passing of the controversial Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, also known as the “bathroom bill.” In a note on the rocker’s official website, Springsteen condemned lawmakers for passing legislature that infringes so heavily on the rights of the state’s LGBT community. “No other group of North Carolinians faces such a burden,” Springsteen wrote.

“To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress,” Springsteen continued. As part of the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, also known as HB2, transgender people are forced to use restrooms associated with their birth certificate, and the LGBT community’s rights within the workplace are also impinged.

“Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments,” Springsteen wrote in a statement. “Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters. As a result, and with deepest apologies to our dedicated fans in Greensboro, we have canceled our show scheduled for Sunday, April 10th. Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.”

Springsteen joins the ever-growing number of artists and companies – including the NHL and the NBA, who are threatening to remove Charlotte’s 2017 All-Star Game over the bill – to speak out against HB2. In 2015, when Indiana attempted to pass a similar discriminatory bill that aimed at reducing the rights of the LGBT community, Wilco canceled their concert in the state; the gig was rescheduled after that controversial bill was struck down. In the case of Springsteen’s concert, the Greensboro show has been canceled and refunds are being issued to ticket holders.

Read Springsteen’s complete statement below:

“As you, my fans, know I’m scheduled to play in Greensboro, North Carolina this Sunday. As we also know, North Carolina has just passed HB2, which the media are referring to as the ‘bathroom’ law. HB2 — known officially as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act — dictates which bathrooms transgender people are permitted to use. Just as important, the law also attacks the rights of LGBT citizens to sue when their human rights are violated in the workplace.

No other group of North Carolinians faces such a burden. To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments.

Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters. As a result, and with deepest apologies to our dedicated fans in Greensboro, we have canceled our show scheduled for Sunday, April 10th. Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.”

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