Ringo Starr joins Bruce Springsteen in canceling North Carolina show to protest anti-LGBT law

Musician Ringo Starr said on Wednesday he was canceling a performance planned for June in Cary, North Carolina, in protest of a state law decried as discriminatory against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

"I'm sorry to disappoint my fans in the area, but we need to take a stand against this hatred," the former drummer for The Beatles said in a statement. "Spread peace and love."

Ringo Starr is joining other musicians who are canceling their performances in states with anti-LGBT laws. Bruce Springsteen recently refused to do a show in North Carolina because of the same law, and Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is skipping a date in Mississippi to protest its new law allowing religious groups and some private businesses to refuse service to gay couples.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins and Letitia Stein; Editing by Alan Crosby)