The US state of North Carolina just passed some abhorrent new anti-LGBTQI laws. The extremely offensive “House Bill 2” bans transgender people from using bathrooms, showers, locker rooms etc. which do not correlate with the “biological” gender as written on their birth certificate. It goes on to specifically report that this law overrides North Carolina’s anti-discrimination laws, which were passed just last month.
There’s been a huge backlash, obviously, including from North Carolina technology and music festival Moogfest, set to take place from May 19 to 22. The event takes place in Durham, and this year will feature performances from Oneohtrix Point Never, Explosions in the Sky, Blood Orange, Julia Holter and more. As well as live music, the event plays host to workshops, films, installations, panel discussions and plenty more, including an instrument, technology and music production market from a wide variety of brands.
The full statement reads as follows:
To our global community of artists, technologists, and future-thinkers.
We are stunned by the news this week, and we invite you to join us in opposing regressive, unjust discrimination of all kinds.
House Bill 2, the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, passed on Wednesday by North Carolina’s legislature and signed into law by the governor, eliminates anti-discrimination protections for all lesbians, gays and bisexuals and bars transgender people from using bathrooms that do not match the gender they were born with.
Moogfest is proud of its home in Durham, its heritage in Asheville, and our friends throughout the state of North Carolina. But we adamantly oppose this law, and any laws that enable or encourage exclusion and bigotry.
Moogfest is dedicated to the legacy of Bob Moog, an engineer who partnered with artists to create new technological tools for creative expression. It was Bob’s lifelong belief that true innovation comes through collaboration, not exclusion. Moogfest offers an inclusive environment where all people come together to explore big ideas for the future. We value diversity, self-expression and experimentation above all else. This discriminatory law not only runs counter to the basic principles of equality, fairness, and justice – it is a direct affront to our principled mission.
We will have spaces dedicated to education and dialogue around these issues and we will take every step possible to ensure that Moogfest remains a safe and welcoming space for all festival-goers, especially the many LGBTQ artists and speakers joining us this year.
We invite all fans of Moogfest to join us. We are standing our ground in North Carolina, and will use every opportunity to protest this law – on the stage, in the streets, and on social media.
- Follow and share the story on social media #WeAreNotThis #HB2 #NC
- Support the work of our allies at the ACLU of North Carolina
- Sign Equality NC’s petition
Synthesize love,
Your friends at Moogfest
Head to the official Moogfest website for more information about the festival.
Image: Moogfest / Pitchfork