Bruce Springsteen ställer in spelning i protest mot anti-HBTQ-lagar

Lagen bestämmer bland annat vilka offentliga badrum transpersoner får besöka.

I morgon var Bruce Springsteen bokad till att spela en konsert i Greensboro i North Carolina, men i går kväll kom nyheten att han ställer in spelningen. Anledningen är de lagar vid namn House Bill 2 som nyligen införts i delstaten, som inskränker på HBTQ-personers rättigheter på flera sätt. Den mest uppmärksammade delen av lagarna är den som bestämmer vilka badrum som transpersoner får gå på, alltså exempelvis att en kvinna som det står M för i födelseattestet tvingas gå på mäns offentliga badrum. Alla som har biljett till den inställda konserten kommer att kunna återlösa den och få pengarna tillbaka.

Via sin hemsida skriver Springsteen:

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.