Maroon 5 has canceled two upcoming shows in Charlotte and Raleigh due to North Carolina’s new anti-LGBT legislation, the band announced on its website Friday.
“This was a difficult decision for us to make as a band,” the group said in a statement posted on its website. “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 AS WE FEEL EVERYONE SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY.”
The shows were set to take place on September 11 at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte and at PNC Arena in Raleigh on September 12.
North Carolina passed the bill on March 23 to block an expansion on the state’s current anti-discrimination law that would have gone into effect in April. The original ordinance passed by the Charlotte, North Carolina, City Council was a LGBT nondiscrimination bill, which allowed transgender people to use the bathroom according to the gender with which they identify.
The new measure was revoked after North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed the state-level bipartisan legislation, House Bill 2, the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, into law.
Other artist who have cancelled their shows in North Carolina include Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato, who are touring together, and Ringo Starr.
