TIME celebrities

Elton John Condemns North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory Over Bathroom Law

"This brand of ignorance deliberately shuts out the perspective of an already marginalized community"

[video id=hpI5yjFM ]

Elton John has censured the governor of North Carolina in an open letter, saying the state’s so-called bathroom law will leave transgender people “stigmatized by the fear and ignorance of others.”

Writing in The Hill, John argued, “what’s worse than the discriminatory bill itself … is that the governor signed it after admitting he had never met a transgender person. Although McCrory later walked his statement back, the message he sent was clear: the actual experiences of transgender people have no place in a debate over their basic rights.”

The singer and AIDS activist called this “a message we hear far too often. This brand of ignorance deliberately shuts out the perspective of an already marginalized community.”

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit earlier this month arguing that the law, known as HB2, violates Title VII, Title IX and the Violence Against Women Act.

Your browser is out of date. Please update your browser at http://update.microsoft.com


YOU BROKE TIME.COM!

Dear TIME Reader,

As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.

The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy. Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.

The TIME Team