On April 18th, there was an article published on the Odyssey titled, “A Response to Springsteen’s Concert Cancellation in North Carolina.” The article was the author’s opinion on Springsteen’s decision to cancel his concert in Greensboro, North Carolina, after the state passed an anti-LGBT law. This law has come to be known as the “bathroom law” because one part of the bill prohibits transgender men and women from using the bathroom of the gender they identify with; forcing them use the bathroom of the gender they were born with.
The article calls Springsteen a “hypocrite” for calling the North Carolina law, “bigoted,” because, “by canceling his concert in North Carolina, isn’t he being intolerant of the belief or opinion that differs with his?” First of all, the author completely fails to mention that the bill creates a statewide anti-discrimination policy, which does not protect gay or transgender people – meaning that LGBT people can be discriminated against, and they can’t do anything about it. This bill is about so much more than bathrooms. Second of all, Springsteen is not being intolerant of a, “belief or opinion that differs with his.” He is being intolerant of a law that takes away people’s basic civil rights. He is being intolerant of prejudice in our country – a country that is supposed to protect people’s freedoms above all else.
The author then goes on to compare Springsteen canceling his show to a baker who didn’t want to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Springsteen did not discriminate against anyone by canceling his show. He did not refuse to provide services to willing customers because he didn’t agree with their life choices. He took a stand against a law that allows companies to fire people because they love someone who has the same anatomy as them or decided that the gender they were assigned at birth doesn’t match who they are inside.
The author also says that Springsteen was “robbing” and doing “an injustice” to his fans by canceling his shows. Yes, it does suck that he canceled the show. I’m sure everyone who had tickets was disappointed. But, here’s the thing about Bruce Springsteen fans – they’re some of the most loyal and dedicated people on the planet, and they know there are going to be more shows. Because it’s Bruce Springsteen, and he’s going to play shows until he physically can’t anymore. So, yes, it sucks that he had to cancel his show. But, you know what else sucks? Not being able to sue a company when they fire you for being gay.
As the author states numerous times in the article, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. She is entitled to hers, Springsteen is entitled to his, and I am entitled to mine. And here’s the thing – I love Bruce Springsteen. I love his music, his concerts and that he stands up for what he believes in. The author seems to insinuate that Springsteen only took a stand because, “everyone else was doing it,” which is an interesting accusation as Springsteen is known to be open with his political views. “Born in the U.S.A,” one of his most famous songs, is about the negative effects of the Vietnam War on American soldiers. “American Skin (41 shots),” a song off of his album The Rising, was written in response to the death of 23-year-old Amadou Diallo who was shot 41 times by four police officers in New York City. He was unarmed at the time of the shooting. In 2012, Springsteen publicly gave his support to President Obama by releasing a statement on his website and then joined Obama while he was campaigning in Ohio and Iowa.
This was not the first time Springsteen has taken a stand for what he believes, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Sure, he could’ve taken another route to show his support for the LGBT community. But, he didn’t. In his own words, he did what was, “the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.” I’ve never been so proud to be a Bruce Springsteen fan. There’s a reason everyone calls him “The Boss.”
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