The list of companies, corporations, and entertainers that oppose North Carolina’s HB2 just keeps growing. Cirque du Soleil announced on their Facebook page that they would be cancelling their scheduled performances in North Carolina due to the discriminatory law. It hasn’t even been a month since HB2 was passed.
Since the bill became law, North Carolina has lost Bruce Springsteen, PayPal, and Ringo Starr. Cirque du Soleil was expected to play in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro over the next few months. A spokesperson said they expect to lose $68,000 because of the cancelled show in Greensboro alone.
The unintended consequences of HB2 increase each day the law remains in effect. Even bookstores are affected as authors have cancelled appearances and book signings around the state. The News & Observer has been keeping track of the effects of the law, and it is not pretty.
Cirque du Soleil has been performing in the United States since 1987 and continues to be a crowd pleaser. One would think that after finding out that the state is losing more money, the government decided to reverse course.
Well, they would have if they actually put North Carolina first. Instead, they’d rather cling to their beliefs, while claiming that this bill is all about safety and common sense. Governor McCrory signed an executive order to clarify the bill that really helped no one at all.
Meanwhile, the state will just keep developing a reputation as just another bigoted state in the Bible Belt. North Carolina’s elected officials are willingly doing harm to the state with no end in sight.
There is a solution. Vote for more progressive candidates whose views aren’t stuck in the past. On Election Day, the citizens of North Carolina will have a chance to change their state’s government for the better. Please choose wisely.
Featured image via Flickr by Focka, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
