You’re the boss, Bruce

I’ve been a lukewarm fan of Bruce Springsteen for over forty years. Lukewarm not as a judgment of his music; rather, I just never listened to him all that much. What I heard I liked, but I seemed to listen to other things more. Still, Born to Run, Thunder Road, Rosalita, Born in the USA and many others were part of my playlist.

Today my appreciation of Bruce Springsteen has skyrocketed. In response to the homophobic, closed-minded actions of the North Carolina legislature and their passage of an egregious anti-LGBT bill that was quickly signed by Governor Pat McCrory, Springsteen canceled his scheduled concert tomorrow night in Greensboro.

Springsteen released this statement:

As you, my fans, know I’m scheduled to play in Greensboro, North Carolina this Sunday. As we also know, North Carolina has just passed HB2, which the media are referring to as the “bathroom” law. HB2 — known officially as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act — dictates which bathrooms transgender people are permitted to use. Just as important, the law also attacks the rights of LGBT citizens to sue when their human rights are violated in the workplace. No other group of North Carolinians faces such a burden. To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments. Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters. As a result, and with deepest apologies to our dedicated fans in Greensboro, we have canceled our show scheduled for Sunday, April 10th. 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. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.

The law, H.B. 2, eliminates existing municipal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people and prevents such protections from being passed by cities in the future. The legislation also forces transgender students in public schools to use restrooms and other facilities inconsistent with their gender identity, putting 4.5 billion dollars in federal funding under Title IX at risk. It also compels the same type of discrimination against transgender people to take place in state buildings, including in public universities. Lawmakers passed the legislation in a hurried, single-day session, and Governor McCrory quickly signed it into law in the dead of night.

What is it with religious homophobes in the South? Why are they so hung-up on other people’s sexuality? I think it’s time for the good people of the South to rise up and overthrow these petty tyrants and join the rest of us in the 21st century.

Thank you, Boss, for showing them the way! My plan for tomorrow is to listen to every track of yours I own; that's apparently 101 tunes. Then I'll switch to Spotify and play the tracks I don't own. I invite all my readers to make tomorrow and All-Bruce, All-the-time day.