Citing HB2, Maroon 5 has cancelled two North Carolina concerts.

The band was scheduled to play at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte on September 11 and at PNC Arena in Raleigh on September 12.

Maroon 5 released a statement regarding the cancellations on their website and on social media.  The statement read:

“We have announced that we will be canceling our upcoming shows in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina because of the recent passage of the HB2 legislation. This was a difficult decision for us to make as a band. 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 AS WE FEEL EVERYONE SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY.”

Maroon 5 joins a growing list of notable music artists who have refused to play in North Carolina after the passage of House Bill 2 in March.  That list includes Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Pearl Jam, and several more.

Maybe It’d Be Faster If We Just Listed Everyone Who Hasn’t Denounced HB2

House Bill 2 was passed in the North Carolina General Assembly and signed by Governor Pat McCrory in March.  The law was passed in response to a Charlotte anti-discrimination ordinance.  It strips local governments in the state from passing laws that would grant anti-discrimination protection to people in the LGBT community.  It also removes any power that local and county governments have to adopt living wage ordinances.  Most of the controversy regarding the law has centered on a provision that requires a person to use the public bathroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate.

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