On Thursday night, Bruce Springsteen warned fans in suburban Detroit of an anti-LGBT bill “similar to the ones that forced us to cancel our show in North Carolina.”
The rocker was referring to North Carolina’s HB2, legislation that overturned many anti-discriminatory practices enforced by local governments in the state. The law, signed by Gov. Pat McCrory in late March, also says transgender people must use public bathrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificates.
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Springsteen canceled a concert in Greensboro, North Carolina, in protest of the new law, calling it an “attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all our citizens to overturn that progress.”
In Michigan, Republican State Sen. Tom Casperson said he plans to introduce a bill requiring local students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their sex as assigned at birth.
“We hope the bill doesn’t pass, 'cause we love playing in Michigan. So keep your heads up,” Springsteen told the crowd at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Thursday before launching into “Born in the USA.”
After the North Carolina cancellation, Springsteen wrote in a statement, “Some things are more important than a rock show, and this fight against prejudice and bigotry … is one of them.”