Stars' Torquil Campbell applauds artists boycotting North Carolina
Stars previously took stands against Stephen Harper in 2016 and Arizona's anti-immigration laws
First it was Bruce Springsteen in North Carolina.
Then it was Bryan Adams in Mississippi.
And yesterday, Ringo Starr became the latest big-name artist to cancel a performance in the American South in protest of recently passed anti-LGBTQ laws.
In Vancouver, Torquil Campbell, a singer and songwriter with Stars, is applauding their moves.
- Bryan Adams cancels Mississippi show due to controversial service law
- Bruce Springsteen cancels show because of North Carolina anti-LGBTQ law
- Tim Baker hopes Hey Rosetta!, Yukon Blonde anti-Harper song gets people to vote
Campbell says artists have a responsibility to speak truth to power, and by cancelling their shows, these artists are speaking loudly.
"If you have a moral centre, and you believe there's right and wrong, and that you need to support the good in the world … then you have a responsibility to try and do something when you see injustice," Campbell told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.
'You can't stay silent'
Campbell's group, Stars, has never been shy about taking a stand.
They boycotted performances in Arizona after it passed controversial immigration laws in 2010, and Campbell was a primary organizer of the Imagine October 20th concerts which aimed to prevent the re-election of then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"As artists, there's potential for affecting people in an emotional way about something they can do something about in the real world," he said. "And I think if you don't try to do that, that's a wasted opportunity."
Campbell does admit he's not sure about the impact of artists taking a stand like this, especially with an issue as seemingly polarized as LGBTQ rights.
"I'm not sure they're not in fact hardening those in favour of laws like this," he said. "It's such an intractable thing, and it's hard to know whether or not … speaking out against it is just making people more opposed to you."
"That may be, but that doesn't change the fact that I still think it's important to do, because you can't stay silent in the face of this stuff."
With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast
To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Torquil Campbell of Stars applauds North Carolina boycotts