Jack Antonoff, the guitarist of the American band fun, has encouraged homophobes to boycott the group's shows.

Fun, which also includes lead vocalist Nate Ruess and instrumentalist Andrew Dost, has been a vocal supporter of gay rights, in particular the right to marry.

In an interview with Michigan gay weekly Between The Lines, Antonoff said as a celebrity he has a responsibility to speak up.

“Absolutely,” Antonofff said. “It's a really weird life. Public figures deserve privacy. They don't deserve to be thrown into the fire just because they have an audience. I mean, we're out here because we're artists, we're songwriters. What I do is what I am and I would understand if someone only wanted to put out what they're there to put out. But it's just one of those complicated generations. Ten or 15 years ago it was a little different because at that point we were only X amount of years away from a learning curve of not really understanding what was going on. But now, in 2013, we have all the information and we've seen the effects of homophobia and we've seen the effects of denying citizens rights. It's just a time where I don't think any of us have the luxury to not stand up.”

Antonoff also brushed aside concerns of offending gay rights opponents.

“We get asked, 'If you guys are gonna be political, do you worry you'll be offending people who are coming to your shows?' And the answer for us is, 'Well, if anyone has a problem with us, then they're homophobic and hateful and we're glad to not have them come to our shows.' [laughs]”

“We set up booths at our shows and it's not like people are coming up slamming their fists down and being like, 'Stop redefining the family,'” he added. “We never get that. We get people coming up and saying, 'I don't really know why this issue matters.'”

(Related: Lena Dunham, Jack Antonoff waiting for gay marriage before engagement.)