Organizations are lining up to boycott the state of North Carolina over what critics are calling an “anti-LGBT” law that requires transgender individuals to use public restrooms that correspond to the gender of their birth.
Some have been exposed as hypocrites. PayPal, for example, cited the bathroom law in its decision to nix plans for a new operations center in Charlotte, but maintains operations in countries, such as Indonesia and Singapore, with spotty records on gay rights.
Fancy circus act Cirque du Soliel, which recently canceled its upcoming shows in North Carolina, is guilty of the same charge. The troupe said the decision was based on its belief in “equality for all” and a determination “to reach our ultimate goal of making the world a better place.” Such moralistic language seems inconsistent with the group’s past and current actions.
The Montreal-based stable of bedazzled acrobats raked in more than $7 million from a run of shows at the Dubai World Trade Center in 2013-2014, and is scheduled for a week-long run in Dubai later this year. Homosexuality and gender reassignment surgery are both illegal in the UAE, and punishable by fines and jail terms.
Cirque du Soleil is currently performing shows in Russia, a country where LGBT activists can be arrested for spreading “gay propaganda,” or beaten in public by anti-gay vigilantes. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently honored the politician who led the effort to pass the anti-gay “propaganda” law for “service to the Fatherland.”
The circus enthusiasts could further show their commitment to “making the world a better place” by cutting ties with China, another country with a problematic record on human rights. Cirque du Soliel is partially owned by a Chinese private equity firm.
