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Music

Moogfest Speaks Out Against North Carolina's New Anti-LGBTQ Law

"We are stunned by the news this week, and we invite you to join us in opposing regressive, unjust discrimination of all kinds."
Image courtesy of Moogfest

This week, North Carolina legislature passed into state law House Bill 2, which both mandates that all transgender people must use the public facilities of the sex listed on their birth certificates and authorizes the state to trump any local law protecting LGBTQ rights. Reactions to the bill have been swift and fiery, with a protest outside the governor's mansion taking place yesterday evening.

Among the many vocal opponents to the bill is the North Carolina synthesizer company Moog, whose biannual Moogfest, will take place this May in Durham, North Carolina. The festival's organizers have posted a letter stating its opposition to the bill and encouraging others to join in "opposing regressive, unjust discrimination of all kinds." We are quoting letter in its entirety below.

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