It looks like celebrities really do not like North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory's ruling to uphold the so-called "Bathroom Bill" because another musician has called off a show following Bruce Springsteen's cancellation of his own concert in protest of the governor's decision.
Ringo Starr announced through his publicist on April 13 that the All Star Band's scheduled concert in Cary, North Carolina in June has been cancelled and The Beatles drummer outrightly stated that the move was his way of protesting the bigotry behind House Bill 2 (HB2).
HB2, otherwise known as the "Bathroom Bill," prohibits transgenders to use bathrooms of the sex they identify with. To put it simply, North Carolina will only allow transgenders to use bathrooms that match the sex indicated in their birth certificate, in spite of their undergoing certain procedures so they can identify as the gender of their choice.
"I'm sorry to disappoint my fans in the area, but we need to take a stand against this hatred [...] How sad that they feel that this group of people cannot be defended," Starr said.
He ended his statement with the title of one of The Beatles' hit songs which, instead of reading, would be better if we just listened to.
And it is not just the musical icons and celebrities who are against the discriminatory bill because even businesses have threatened to pull out their current and planned events and investments in the state. This includes the National Basketball Association (NBA), which is already considering moving its 2017 All-Star Games from Charlotte.
It is like taking one step forward and two steps back because, while HB2 strengthened its protection of state employees from discrimination, it somehow caused a big blow to those who do not belong to the protected groups.
However, the outcry over McCrory's decision did not stop with bathrooms because the questionable law also prohibits local governments within North Carolina to make their own anti-discriminatory ordinances.
Springsteen has a fair point in his assessment of the situation when he announced his cancellation:
"[The] law also attacks the rights of LGBT citizens to sue when their human rights are violated in the workplace ... 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," he wrote.
