Mumford & Sons Donate Proceeds From North Carolina Show to Charity

Band Mumford & Sons have pledged to donate the proceeds from a recent show in Charlotte, N.C., to social justice charities, making them the latest entertainers to show a sign of protest against the state’s anti-gay legislation.

The rootsy British foursome performed in North Carolina last week.

Entertainers of all stripes have been weighing how to address performances in North Carolina, after the state passed a bill known as the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act. The law prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms that fit their gender identity and eliminated local protections for gay and transgender people.

While some entertainers have cancelled performances in the state, like Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr, others have continued to play there but found other ways to speak out against the legislation.

Also Read: NBA Says LGBT Law Must Change for All-Star Game to Stay In North Carolina

On its Facebook page, the band posted:

We’re pleased to follow up on our announcement of last week regarding the proceeds from the (fantastic) Charlotte show. We have now set up the Gentlemen Of The Road Fund which will donate funds to charities fighting for social justice around the world.

We met with the Mayor of Charlotte and some other charities and action groups while we were in town and will be making donations to the following wonderfully worthy organisations: Equality NC, the oldest LGBT rights action group in the US (http://equalitync.org), Time Out Youth, which creates a safe place for young LGBT people in Charlotte (http://www.timeoutyouth.org) and the Equal Justice Initiative, a civil rights campaigning group based in Alabama (http://www.eji.org).

Thanks also go to Grayson and Tina at NC Needs You (http://www.ncneedsyou.com) for their sage advice. Stay tuned for future announcements relating to the Gentlemen Of The Road Fund.

Ahead of the group’s performance in Charlotte, its members posted an open letter to fans about the controversy on Facebook:

Dear friends,

We will be playing a show tomorrow in Charlotte, and recent events in North Carolina have got us talking a lot as a band the last few days, so we felt compelled to say something in advance to you.

As a band that relishes welcoming everyone to our shows and promoting tolerance, we do want to take a stand with the people of North Carolina who this week are shouting loudly against intolerance, fear and discrimination.

Over the years we’ve looked for ways to contribute to the vitality of local communities and, in that spirit, we’re now creating a charitable fund to support those who have made it their mission to pursue love and justice. We will be donating all of our profits from this show to this new fund. And we will start by making a donation from it to a local LGBTQ organisation.

As always, we will open the doors to our show to anyone who wants to come, and are excited to get down with the people of Charlotte.

M, B, W & T