Despite a flood of LGBT support from celebrities and corporations against North Carolina’s “bathroom” law, Jimmy Buffett announced that he will not boycott the state.
Bruce Springsteen cancelled a concert in Greensboro, and Deutsche Bank is freezing plans to bring more than 200 jobs to Cary, but Buffett will not follow their lead. The 69-year-old singer-songwriter wrote a post on his Margaritaville Blog explaining why he won’t cancel his shows in Raleigh and Charlotte.
“North Carolina was there for me as a performer in the early days and I have always felt a loyalty to the fans there that goes deep,” Buffett wrote. He expressed his belief—numerous times—that the new law requiring people to use bathrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates is “stupid,” and people are correct to react negatively to it. However, Buffett said he believes that most of his North Carolina following feels the way he does about it, and he’s “not going to let stupidity or bigotry trump fun for [his] loyal fans.”
Buffett’s shows were scheduled and sold out before the bathroom bill was signed, but the performer said he will consider the new legislation before booking anything else in the future. “It would definitely depend on whether that stupid law is repealed,” he stated. “That is up to the good people of North Carolina and there are many, and I am confident that they will see that the right thing will be done.”