My professor once said that showing love for Jersey-born musician, Bruce Springsteen, was just another “Jersey thing.” This week, I think the love for Springsteen has spread further than his hometown, and has reminded the country why they once worshipped him.
On April 8th, Springsteen released a statement that he would be cancelling his show that would take place that Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina. Springsteen’s decision came shortly after North Carolina’s general assembly passed the House Bill 2 (HB2) and Govenor. Pat McCrory signed it into law. The new law proposes that people are required to use bathrooms that correlate to the gender on their birth certificate. The bill has come under fire for it’s lack of protection for the rights of gay and transgender people.
In a statement released on Shore Fire Media, Bruce Springsteen said “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.”
Springsteen goes on to apologize to his fans for cancelling the show, but says that “this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters.”
Several other big companies have also refused to do work in North Carolina because of the aforementioned bill.
Just last summer the supreme court ruled gay marriage legal nationwide, it’s hard to see decades worth of progression unravel with a governor’s signature.
While Springsteen’s decision won’t change the bill, I hope his stance brings light to what the country is, and still needs to fight for.
“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.”