no one wants to see this irrelevant shit band anyway

So ignore your fans because you don't like one law in that state? This boycott thing is so ridiculous and inconsistent. Imagine if they boycotted every country that had worse laws.

day late articles bro

Irrelevant shit band that sells out every arena/stadium they play. what do you do with your life?

Feel superior for not listening to said irrelevant shit band.

So ignore your fans because you don't like one law in that state?

you just don't get it, do you

i hope NC fans start boycotting bands who put on shows in that state to really show those lawmakers

i hope all the grocery stores/restaurants/fast food companies deny service to all their customers from NC to really show those lawmakers, surely they can't have everyone starve to death right?

congratulations to Pearl James. never heard her music but bravo for making a stand

She's a Lightning Bolt I tell you

Awesome. I feel bad for the NC fans too, but I'd hope they are more annoyed at the law than a concert being cancelled.

the law didnt cancel the concert lmao, pearl jam did

Jesus, people in NC voted for these laws. Why would they be annoyed at it? It's like you guys don't understand how democracy works.

most people don't care about actually voting but expect politicians to, ya know, act as decent humans and not pass stupid laws like this. You can criticize the people for voting them into office (or not voting at all, resulting in the same thing), but at the end of the day it's still the politicians and only the politicians who made this law a law.

NO we didn't TrophyCase ButtFace

I respect their concern, but disappointing the fans like this is the wrong way to do it

Eh I mean if the people didn't vote for it then that sucks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfO1veFs6Ho

would like to here people's thoughts on this, cheers

These comments are a good example of the shit show that is sputnikmusic.

this law happened because a state legislature full of hateful shitbags reacted to a local lgbt non-discrimination ordinance by eliminating every non-discrimination ordinance in the state. it's not just the bathroom issue, the whole thing is astoundingly stupid

I don't get how punishing your fans for views they don't necessarily share is a cool thing to do.

What is that "controversial bathroom issue" ?

"What is that "controversial bathroom issue" ?


Not allowing transgender people use the bathroom that aligns with the gender they identify as.

1. They're punishing the state by refusing to bring their business (read: $$$) to said state as protest; punishing the fans is an unfortunate consequence of said protest.
2. Is that actually snide or someone trying to make him look dumb? they're doing a decent job of it, whoever they are.

Yes, "hateful shitbags." Well, you know because, anatomically speaking, men have urethras that go through a penis (women's urethras don't), so there's no real, rational difference that justifies having separate restrooms. Definitely no common good that comes from that. Nope, recognizing and retaining distinctions between maleness and femaleness is just pure, unadulterated bigotry, especially because Jim Crow legislature that prohibited blacks from using the restroom because of the color of their skin -- an immutable, inherent trait that has no influence on behavior -- is analogously on par to legislature prohibiting a biological man or woman from using the bathroom as the opposite sex -- a chosen action and not an immutable characteristic -- that as behavior is subject to moral evaluation unlike the color of a person's skin.

hey i have an idea - get pearl jam to play outside the state capital, if those politicians don't blow their brains out from the sheer awfulness of it maybe they could change the law

TBH if the law specifically states that businesses are allowed to refuse customers or fire employees because of their own beliefs, then why are you guys complaining? These bands are simply following the law. They're refusing customers (the state of North Carolina) in accordance with their beliefs - exactly as they're legally allowed to do in that state. You guys can't have your cake and eat it.

Wasn't it only "Snide" who brought up the issue of refusing customers? We're talking about the "bathroom bill" here, though you do have a point with the other issue.

can we get rid of snide please

"get rid of people I don't like"
Fuck off

if i could get rid of the people i don't like, this site would be half-empty. but snide needs to go

also, who dis

ffs this isn't the bathroom issue. it's the overarching new law that allows discrimination towards LGBT people because their existence threatens people's religious beliefs.

lol We should start a campaign where we jokingly apologize to religious people for existing.

It'd be glorious satire.

this should be about cyndi lauper

I totally get this but wouldn't it be cooler to play your show there and blow your views up their ass?

Jimmy Buffett played anyway and just shared his thoughts beforehand. I can see defenses for both, but I'd rather them play the concert and let the corporations and stuff cancel.

Against Me! is still playing their show there and its probably gonna be badass as fuuuuuck.

against me! ain't bringing no money there, just givin' morale to the lgbt crowd

"TBH if the law specifically states that businesses are allowed to refuse customers or fire employees because of their own beliefs, then why are you guys complaining? These bands are simply following the law. They're refusing customers (the state of North Carolina) in accordance with their beliefs - exactly as they're legally allowed to do in that state. You guys can't have your cake and eat it."

BOOM! Logic'd.

lol gonna use that tbh

CAKE OR DEATH?

fuck off

Death please. No, CAKE! CAKE! I meant cake!

Mississippian here. Can't say I blame any group for not supporting the bullshit that plagues the South on a frequent basis. At the same time, lots of Southern citizens are vehemently against these "religious freedom" laws and think it's ridiculous. It sucks that folks won't be able to see music that they're into when they largely had nothing to do with the law's passing. All that being said, as long as At The Drive-In and Swans make their Tennessee dates, I am fuckin' A-OK.

it sucks for them yea, all u have is the knowledge that this is not meant as retaliation against the people, just the shit governors that happen to be in power in those places at the moment

@MillionDead you better hope TN doesn't pass their own anti-LGBT law before the dates then.

every little bit helps.

no one wants to see this irrelevant shit band anyway[2]

really doubt they're not selling out their shows

pearl jam are huge

this whole issue is such bullshit

everyone move on with your lives, there are way more important things going on

The media is making this whole bathroom, transgender thing into some huge issue....honestly. Bathroom's for men, and women separately have been working for thousands of years. I don't care if you think I'm anti LGBT, or non-progressive or whatever bullshit you think. I don't hate people who are gay. I also don't expect LGBT issues shoved down my throat, bombarded in the media or affecting the shows bands that I like play. Everyone just act like adults, respect each other, and move the fuck on.

Also @ BlacApes, your a fucking idiot

"Businesses should have the right to deny service to whoever they want, gay or straight; any laws that say otherwise could result in a pile of faulty lawsuits.
This law they passed is terribly worded though."

Snide speaks sense for once

um it's not just a bathroom thing, it prevents any LGBT protection laws from being passed

and also lol if you think discrimination is or should be legal

14th amendment biiiiiitttttttttcccccccchhhhhhhhh

"TBH if the law specifically states that businesses are allowed to refuse customers or fire employees because of their own beliefs, then why are you guys complaining? These bands are simply following the law. They're refusing customers (the state of North Carolina) in accordance with their beliefs - exactly as they're legally allowed to do in that state. You guys can't have your cake and eat it."

I don't even know how to pick apart this argument because it makes no sense

Businesses should have the right to deny service to whoever they want, gay or straight

At the store where I work we have the right to refuse anyone service for any reason. But in general it's just if you're a drunk asshole.

People have always had the right to deny services to customers/clients, just not on the basis of their gender/race/religion/etc. It's a pretty fundamental aspect of "doing business" so idk why anyone would need to highlight it.

Yeah there you go, that's the thought I was looking for but wasn't able to put into words.

Except, Trebor, that's not true. HB2 doesn't allow anyone to obtain non-discrimination protections regulating private employers, businesses, organizations at the local level. It must be done via the state legislature not local municipality. LGBT are not being any more singled out than anyone else, as everyone has to lobby the state legislature to change non-discrimination law.

The new non-discrimination policy doesn't include sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), which 30 states also don't have, as well as the federal government's non-discrimination statute doesn't specifically mention, as this all pretty much deals in public accommodation with bathrooms in public schools and state government agencies, employment and state government agencies. As I understand it, under HB2, city governments are still free to make policies and non-discrimination protections that include SOGI for local government employment; they just can't impose SOGI non-discrimination restrictions on private actors. Private businesses are still free to recognize and implement sexual orientation and gender identity in their operational policies, and HB2 allows for the creation of single-occupancy restrooms to accommodate the transgendered.

It simply isn't the case that this law:
a) targets transgender people
b) "prevents any LGBT protection laws from being passed"

It just doesn't acquiesce to what the LGBT lobby demands, which ultimately is a constitutional right for the transgendered to use the bathroom, shower, or locker room of their choice, despite their bodily differences and the fact it comes at the expense of business owners, employers and everyone else's privacy and safety concerns.

I love how there's honest discussion going on, and then here comes AftertheAscension, adding in his highly-informed 2 cents.

They could publicly denounce the law while they come play for their NC fans. But I guess they are more concerned about their image of "taking a stand" then playing for what fans they may have left.

I just looked up tickets for their show tonight and it seems like it's practically sold out, sooooo...

"they just can't impose SOGI non-discrimination restrictions on private actors"

"It simply isn't the case that this law:
a) targets transgender people
b) "prevents any LGBT protection laws from being passed"

so, they can make laws against discrimination, but they can't enforce them if they defend gay people, but it's totally not homophobic. Sure fam

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/04/20/britain-issues-warning-for-lgbt-travelers-visiting-north-carolina-and-mississippi/?tid=sm_fb

Those states have the honour of being on a list with the likes of Saudi Arabia and Abkhazia (a disputed and war-torn region in Georgia), warning people not to travel there or at least proceed with caution.

lmao