Pearl Jam on Monday announced that it
was canceling a concert in North Carolina over a law that the band
criticized as discriminatory.
“It is with deep consideration and
much regret that we must cancel the Raleigh show in North Carolina on
April 20,” the group said in a statement posted
on its website.
North Carolina's law, House Bill 2,
prohibits cities from approving LGBT protections and bars students
attending public institutions from using the bathroom that does not
conform to their gender at birth.
“The HB2 law that was recently passed
is a despicable piece of legislation that encourages discrimination
against an entire group of American citizens,” the band said. “The
practical implications are expansive and its negative impact upon
basic human rights is profound. We want America to be a place where
no one can be turned away from a business because of who they love or
fired from their job for who they are.”
Pearl Jam joins a growing list of
artists protesting House Bill 2 and calling for its repeal, the
latest being Duran Duran.
(Related: In
Charlotte, Duran Duran criticizes North Carolina anti-gay law.)