If god isnt from North Carolina, why is the sky Tar Heel blue?
If god isn't from North Carolina, why is the sky Tar Heel blue? Alex Garland

Earlier today on their Facebook page, our friends in Tacocat made a statement about why they've decided to go ahead and play the show they (and tourmates Boyfriends) have scheduled for tonight at a club called the Pinhook in Durham, NC.

Several marquee artists, including Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam (as well as Ringo Starr, Cirque de Soleil, and, uh, Boston) have cancelled upcoming shows in North Carolina as a statement of protest against the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act—the state's anti-LGBT legislation. Several other performers (among them our own Brandi Carlile, as well as Cyndi Lauper, Laura Jane Grace, and, uh, Jimmy Buffett) have chosen to go ahead and play there, some donating their earnings to activist groups working to repeal HB2.

Like all of you, I've seen a lot of discussion on both sides of this issue, but I haven't read a more cogent statement of purpose than the one from Tacocat, including this line:

While we respect the decisions of giant acts like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and other mega-musicians whose shows have real economic impact on the region (and whose music has a wide enough fan base to possibly reach the ears of slime-brains in power), we feel that pulling out of our show—an all-ages show booked months ago at the Pinhook, a queer-friendly/run venue—would only further punish those being marginalized.

It's great to see some proud NW feminist punk urbanites acknowledge that weirdo, queer bohemia exists outside our pseudocosmopolitan bubble, and thrives on access to culture from elsewhere. The south gets a bad rap and deservedly so, in a way. But in another way there is no "the south." Like all regions, it's really just a diverse agglomeration of humans, many of whom hate HB2, too. Who knows? Maybe they also hate the weekend...

Read the entire statement below:

❤️Tacocat and Boyfriends are playing a show tonight in North Carolina. As disgusted as we are by the local government’s recent backwards anti-LBGTQ laws, we did not feel it would be the right decision to cancel this show. In fact, we think it's important to play.

While we respect the decisions of giant acts like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and other mega-musicians whose shows have real economic impact on the region (and whose music has a wide enough fan base to possibly reach the ears of slime-brains in power), we feel that pulling out of our show—an all-ages show booked months ago at the Pinhook, a queer-friendly/ran venue—would only further punish those being marginalized.

We, as much smaller, radical-leaning bands, do not feel that resources like live music should be cut off from LBGTQ folks, allies, and young people who actually live in North Carolina. We view our live music (and the music of so many other likeminded bands) as a special tool that can be used for fighting oppression, creating an outlet to vent, or at the very least, simply as an opportunity to dance around with like-minded peers in an environment we seek to keep discrimination free.

Tonight we’re giving a portion of the door to Equality NC and passing out Trans Lifeline buttons. We invite North Carolina’s punks, divas, aliens, weirdos, and friends to come out and have a glittery time dancing/laughing in the face of the patriarchy!!!❤️