Elton John has joined the growing group of celebrities and musicians speaking out against House Bill 2. Tuesday morning, he published an op-ed in “The Hill” which criticizes North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s “ignorance of trans identity.”

“McCrory and others who support these discriminatory bathroom bills need to reverse course, but moreover, they need a lesson in compassion.”

But compassion is not the only thing John says McCrory and the bill’s supporters need.

“They need to recognize the existence of trans people, and they need to acknowledge that all people have a fundamental desire — and a fundamental right — to be treated fairly.”

John wrote that fairness and equality have been overlooked with the passing of HB2, and fears that the safety of transgender students is at risk.

“Forcing transgender people to use the bathroom of a gender with which they don’t identify isn’t just inconvenient or impractical. For many, especially young students still grappling with their transition, it can be traumatic, and at worst, unsafe.”

This supports Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s statements last week about the impacts of HB2. She said McCrory and the state legislature are putting the safety of their citizens at risk.

“They created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security,” Lynch said when announcing the lawsuit from the Department of Justice against North Carolina.

For John, the safety of children is an issue that hits close to home.

“As the father of two children, I would hope their world is free of discriminatory, hateful legislation like North Carolina’s.”

But McCrory has refused to repeal the bill, saying, “It’s the Federal Government being a bully.”

John echoed Lynch saying the only people being bullied are the transgender people of North Carolina.

“The message [McCrory] sent was clear: the actual experiences of transgender people have no place in a debate over their basic rights.”

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