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Cirque Du Soleil Cancels North Carolina Shows Over Bathroom Law

  • by: Alan Duke
  • (Fri, 15 Apr 2016 19:01:36 Z)

North Carolina fans of Cirque du Soleil will have to travel out of state to see the high-flying, body-twisting performers because of their legislature's decision to limit toilet based on gender as stated on a birth certificate.

The Canadian-based circus company announced Friday it was cancelling shows in North Carolina because of the recently enacted law.

"Cirque du Soleil strongly believes in diversity and equality for every individual and is opposed to discrimination in any form," the company said in a statement sent to Lead Stories. "The new HB2 legislation passed in North Carolina is an important regression to ensuring human rights for all."

The OVO tour that had been set to perform in Greensboro April 20-24 and in Charlotte July 6-10 is canceled. Also performances of TORUK - Avatar set for in Raleigh June 22-26 are off the schedule.

"Cirque du Soleil believes in equality for all," the statement said. "It is a principle that guides us with both our employees and our customers. We behave as change agents to reach our ultimate goal of making a better world with our actions and our productions."

About the author:

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

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