Unlike Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr, folk singer-songwriter and apparent Taylor Swift superfan Father John Misty isn't canceling his upcoming show in North Carolina in protest of the recently passed anti-LGBT bathroom bill.
The former Fleet Foxes drummer -- whose real name is Josh Tillman -- said in a statement to Rolling Stonethat he doesn't see performing in North Carolina as a show of support for House Bill 2. The bill, passed last month, prevents local governments from passing their own anti-discrimination laws, delivering a serious blow to LGBT rights and requiring that transgender people use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their "biological sex."
"The bill is obviously bullsh*t," Tillman told Rolling Stone. "[If] I thought playing a show for my fans in North Carolina was in any way some tacit endorsement of this fearful, petty, ignorant nonsense, I wouldn't.
"I also play states that have oppressive drug laws designed to imprison the disenfranchised, rig elections, deny women their dignity, defend the reckless and insane practice of selling guns and sustain a permanent underclass with hypocritical, opportunist readings of archaic documents written by land-stealers who never intended political privilege to extend past their buddies."
Instead, the musician will donate all proceeds from his Charlotte concert to a Time Out Youth, an LGBT support center in the city.
Several other artists have pulled out of North Carolina shows as a form of protest. In a statement earlier this month, Springsteen said his decision to cancel his Greensboro show an act of solidarity.
"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," he said. "It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards."
Cyndi Lauper, meanwhile, decided to make her show in North Carolina an LGBT rally of sorts, donating all her proceeds to Equality North Carolina in its attempts to appeal House Bill 2.
SEE ALSO:Cirque du Soleil cancels multiple shows in North Carolina because of anti-LGBT bill"I have seen time and time again what can happen when people join together to do what is fair and the effort to repeal HB2 is the right and fair thing to do," she wrote in a statement. "I am hopeful that all of the current efforts to repeal HB2 will be successful and the True Colors Fund and I will continue to do all that we can to help.
"In that vein, the best way I know how to make a difference is what I have strived to do my whole life and that is show up for my family, friends, and fans in the LGBT community. So, for that reason I think the best way I can do my part is to turn my show in Raleigh on June 4th into an entire day to build public support to repeal HB2."
Similarly, in his statement to Rolling Stone,Tillman said, "for me, this show represents a start in investing in the plight of other Americans."
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