Following Bruce Springsteen’s lead, Bryan Adams has now joined in protesting anti-LGBTQ legislation in the South. Adams has announced he is cancelling his April 14 concert in Biloxi, Mississippi, after the state passed the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience From Government Discrimination Act” (commonly known as the “Religious Liberty” bill), which would allow businesses, public employees, and faith-based organizations to discriminate based on sexual orientation and transgender identity. In a statement posted to Facebook, Adams says he “cannot in good conscience perform in a state where certain people are being denied their civil rights due to their sexual orientation” and warns that he won’t perform again in Mississippi until the bill is repealed. His boycott comes after Springsteen canceled a concert in North Carolina over similar anti-LGBTQ legislation.
Read Adams’s full statement below:
“Mississippi has passed anti-LGBT ‘Religious Liberty’ bill 1523. I find it incomprehensible that LGBT citizens are being discriminated against in the state of Mississippi. 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 cancelling 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. — Bryan Adams #stop1523”
