Maroon 5 Cancels North Carolina Shows to Protest Transgender Bathroom Law

Maroon 5 has canceled upcoming shows in North Carolina to protest the state’s controversial transgender bathroom law.

“We have announced that we will be canceling our upcoming shows in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina because of the recent passage of the HB2 legislation,” the band members said in a statement on their website. “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 band joins a growing group of artists and businesses protesting North Carolina over the legislation that forces transgender residents to use the bathrooms of their sex assigned at birth.

Read TIME’s recent cover story on the nation’s bathroom battle here.

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Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.berenson@time.com.