A new law has passed in Moogfest's home state of North Carolina, and it isn't exactly festie friendly.

According to the festival, "House Bill 2, the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, passed on Wednesday by North Carolina’s legislature and signed into law by the governor, eliminates anti-discrimination protections for all lesbians, gays and bisexuals and bars transgender people from using bathrooms that do not match the gender they were born with."

In the inclusive, loving and progressive spirit of festivals everywhere, Moogfest isn't having it. The festival, which is set to occur in May in the town of Durham, North Carolina is courageously and vocally taking a stand against the new legislation, which passed on March 23, 2016.

Its statement reads:

Moogfest is proud of its home in Durham, its heritage in Asheville, and our friends throughout the state of North Carolina. But we adamantly oppose this law, and any laws that enable or encourage exclusion and bigotry.

Moogfest is dedicated to the legacy of Bob Moog, an engineer who partnered with artists to create new technological tools for creative expression. It was Bob’s lifelong belief that true innovation comes through collaboration, not exclusion. Moogfest offers an inclusive environment where all people come together to explore big ideas for the future. We value diversity, self-expression and experimentation above all else. This discriminatory law not only runs counter to the basic principles of equality, fairness, and justice – it is a direct affront to our principled mission.

We will have spaces dedicated to education and dialogue around these issues and we will take every step possible to ensure that Moogfest remains a safe and welcoming space for all festival-goers, especially the many LGBTQ artists and speakers joining us this year.

We invite all fans of Moogfest to join us. We are standing our ground in North Carolina, and will use every opportunity to protest this law – on the stage, in the streets, and on social media.

• Follow and share the story on social media #WeAreNotThis #HB2 #NC
• Support the work of our allies at the ACLU of North Carolina
• Sign Equality NC’s petition

Synthesize love,

Your friends at Moogfest

We applaud Moogfest's efforts to show love for not only its community, but for anyone and everyone who is affected by this law. After all, we believe festivals should encourage us to let our freak flags fly. We should feel free to explore who we are, who we can be. Throughout time, festivals have served as a crossroads of the sacred and profane, marking challenging human experiences with ceremony beyond the realm of mortal understanding. They are an invitation to try new things, to open the doors of discovery.

That’s why, in the face of hate or bigotry, we celebrate the freaky weirdos that teach us how to live, and inspire us to be better. And no law should be able to keep us freaky weirdos down.