By Tom Kludt
Bruce Springsteen is the latest to shun North Carolina over its so-called “bathroom law.”
The legendary musician announced Friday that his upcoming show in Greensboro, North Carolina, has been canceled in “solidarity” with those protesting the measure.
Springsteen and his E Street Band were slated to perform at the Greensboro Coliseum this Sunday. The roughly 15,000 ticketholders will all be eligible for a refund.
The newly enacted law requires individuals to use bathrooms that correspond to the gender on their birth certificate, and has drawn fierce criticism for excluding legal protections from gay and transgender people.
“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 said 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,” Springsteen said.
“Some things are more important than a rock show,” he added, “and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them.”
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act late last month after the state’s General Assembly went into a special session to push through the legislation.
The measure has been met with denunciations and boycotts in the weeks that have followed. Earlier this week, PayPal nixed its plans to open a global operations center in Charlotte, a facility that was expected to employ 400 people.
Springsteen is no stranger to activism. His music, colored by a working class ethos, often focuses on the struggles of everyday Americans. He publicly supported Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012.
The Greensboro Coliseum is scheduled to host other marquee acts in the coming months, including a Dolly Parton concert in June and Justin Bieber in July.
Andrew Brown, a spokesman for the venue, said that no other performer has threatened to pull out over the measure.
“Obviously we’re concerned, but this is the first cancelation we’ve had,” Brown said.
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