Singer-songwriter and LGBT activist Cyndi Lauper will perform in North Carolina after other artists boycotted the state over a religious liberty law they say discriminates against transgendered people, saying she believes those affected “will need us there.”
In a statement to TMZ, the 62-year-old singer and founder of the True Colors Fund said she would perform in North Carolina despite the state’s passage of what has been called the “anti-LGBT” Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, which, among other things, mandates that transgender people use public restrooms that correspond to their biological sex.
“I would play in North Carolina,” Lauper told the outlet. “I think that people will need us there. Wherever there’s a shutout, wherever there’s people who don’t accept other people, the other people need you.”
According to her website, Lauper is scheduled to perform at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 4.
Lauper joins fellow musician Jimmy Buffett, who said this week that he would play two scheduled shows in North Carolina despite the state’s “stupid” laws.
“These shows were booked and sold out long before the governor [Pat McCrory] signed that stupid law,” Buffett wrote in a blog post. “I am not going to let stupidity or bigotry trump fun for my loyal fans this year. We will be playing in Raleigh and Charlotte next week.”
Last week, E Street Band leader Bruce Springsteen said he would not perform a scheduled a concert in Greensboro to protest the state’s passage of HB 2.
“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,” Springsteen wrote in a message on his official website. “It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.”
Earlier this week, Canadian rocker Bryan Adams announced that a concert planned for Thursday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi would be cancelled over that state’s passage of its own religious freedom law, HB 1523.
“Using my voice I stand in solidarity with all my LGBT friends to repeal this extremely discriminatory bill,” Adams wrote on his website. “Hopefully Mississippi will right itself and I can come back and perform for all of my many fans. I look forward to that day.”
On Tuesday, representatives from companies and organizations including CAA, Netflix, SAG-AFTRA and Viacom joined with LGBT advocacy group GLAAD to sign an open letter urging state governments to repeal or refuse to sign “anti-LGBT legislation.”
“Entertainment is not just one of our nation’s most powerful economic drivers, it’s also one of our greatest cultural exports to the rest of the world. As leaders charged with making a difference in your cities, towns, and states, we implore you to stand with us and reject any and all efforts to legalize discrimination,” the open letter, published in Variety, reads. “Send a strong and clear message to the rest of the world that America – and your communities – remain places where all people are respected, welcomed, and treated equally.”
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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