Maroon 5 on Friday canceled two
upcoming concerts in North Carolina over a law that targets the LGBT
community.
“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,” Maroon 5
said in a statement on their official website. “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.”
House Bill 2 blocks cities from
enacting LGBT protections and prohibits transgender people from using
the bathroom of their choice in government buildings, including
schools.
Other artists, including Bruce
Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato, have
canceled scheduled shows in the state to protest the law.
(Related: Nick
Jonas “incredibly frustrated” by North Carolina's anti-gay law.)