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The Israeli-born musician was to perform on Wednesday night
with the North Carolina Symphony in Raleigh.
In a statement on Facebook, he quoted U.S. Attorney General
Loretta Lynch's recent comments that the law was about more than
just bathrooms but also "the dignity and respect we accord our
fellow citizens."
"I couldn’t agree more and will look forward to returning to
North Carolina when this discriminatory law is repealed," said
Perlman, who performed at President Barack Obama's inauguration
in 2009.
North Carolina in March became the first state in the country to
ban people from using multiple-occupancy public restrooms and
changing facilities that correspond with their gender identity.
The law also blocks local governments from passing
anti-discrimination ordinances that include protections based
gender identity and sexual orientation.
Republican lawmakers who support the bathroom measure say it is
needed to protect safety and privacy, but last week the U.S.
Justice Department asked a federal district court to declare
that the state is violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Perlman, a Grammy Award winner, is the latest in a line of
performers who have backed out of shows in North Carolina in a
stand against the law. They include Bruce Springsteen, Demi
Lovato, Nick Jonas, Boston, Pearl Jam, Ringo Starr and the group
Cirque du Soleil. Companies and conventions also have boycotted
the state.
In an essay published by The Hill news site on Tuesday, musician
Elton John said North Carolina lawmakers needed to reverse
course and get "a lesson in compassion."
Failing to consider the experiences of transgender people is a
"brand of ignorance (that) deliberately shuts out the
perspective of an already marginalized community," John wrote.
"It’s dangerous, and it goes beyond bathrooms."
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Tom Brown)
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