Maroon 5 cancels NC shows over bathroom law

Rock band Maroon 5 is canceling two concerts in North Carolina over the state’s controversial law on transgender people.

“We have announced that we will be cancelling our upcoming shows in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina because of the recent passage of the HB2 legislation,” the group said in a statement on its website Friday.

{mosads}“This was a difficult decision for us to make as a band. 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.”

The shows were scheduled for September.

Other musical acts, including Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Ringo Starr, Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato, have also boycotted performing in the Tarheel State over the bathroom law.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) in March signed a law requiring people to use public bathrooms that match their birth gender.

The Department of Justice earlier this month filed a federal lawsuit against North Carolina over the controversial legislation.

The lawsuit says H.B. 2 violates provisions in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Education Acts Amendment of 1972 and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.

“This action is about a great deal more than bathrooms,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said when she announced the lawsuit. “This is about the dignity and respect that we accord our fellow citizens.”

North Carolina also sued earlier this month, charging that the Justice Department’s suit is “baseless and blatant overreach.”