Singer-songwriter Bryan Adams canceled his April 14 concert in Biloxi, Miss., in protest of the state’s recently passed “religious liberty” law.
“I find it incomprehensible that LGBT citizens are being discriminated against in the state of Mississippi,” Adams said in a statement on his website. “I cannot in good conscience perform in a state where certain people are being denied their civil rights due to their sexual orientation.
“Therefore I’m canceling my 14 April show at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Using my voice I stand in solidarity with all my LGBT friends to repeal this extremely discriminatory bill. Hopefully Mississippi will right itself and I can come back and perform for all of my many fans. I look forward to that day.”
Steve Van Zandt, a guitarist for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, praised Adam’s decision on Twitter. “Right on Bryan Adam!” he said.
Right on Bryan Adams! Canceling the gig in Mississippi. The other front in the war against discrimination.
— Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) April 11, 2016
Springsteen canceled an upcoming gig in North Carolina to protest the state’s treatment of transgender people, the latest in a backlash to a law the state recently passed that effectively bans transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice.
Mississippi House Bill 1532 is the latest example of a state passing a controversial “religious liberty” law, following a successful effort last year in Indiana and an unsuccessful one last month in Georgia.
Supporters of the type of legislation say it protects citizens from not having to do anything that explicitly goes against their respective religions, while detractors say it is a legal loophole that gives bigots an excuse to discriminate, specifically against the LGBT community, on religious grounds.
