The Lumineers announced today that all profits from the band’s show Tuesday at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie will go toward Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.
The policies of Texas’ conservative lawmakers have regularly rubbed against the progressive attitudes common to musicians, and in the fraught political atmosphere of 2017, that conflict seems likely to become more pronounced. This week alone has already seen hundreds of entertainers, including local artists such as Sarah Jaffe, St. Vincent, and producer John Congleton, add their names to a petition opposing the state’s so-called “bathroom bill,” which would limit transgender people’s access to public restrooms. (A similar bill passed last year in North Carolina caused some sports organizations to move tournaments and events to other states, while several high-profile performers cancelled concerts.)
The most recent news in Texas Republicans’ long fight to defund Planned Parenthood came when the state tried to block Medicaid funds from going to the women’s health care provider, a move at least temporarily blocked this week by a federal judge.
The Lumineers’ big tent folk rock has never seemed especially political, but a quick glance at the band’s Twitter page also shows it championing the cause of protesters at Standing Rock.
Whatever your thoughts on this move, you have to hand it to the band for putting its money where its mouth is.
Here’s the full statement posted on the the Lumineers’ website:
When we take the stage next week in Dallas, while efforts to “defund” Planned Parenthood in Texas are underway, we have decided to donate all profits from the show to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.
“When my wife was a teen and young adult, Planned Parenthood provided her not only with free/ affordable cancer screenings, contraceptives and annual checkups, but also with the education and tools to help make smart decisions regarding her health,” says The Lumineers lead singer Wesley Schultz. “The reality for her was that Planned Parenthood was her only real way to get legitimate and affordable healthcare. To read news stories about attempts to defund this same healthcare in Texas for so many women (and men) is disturbing and has moved us to act.”
The hostile policies passed in the state have left tens of thousands of Texans without access to cancer screenings, birth control, HIV tests and other preventive care. This is about denying people access to basic health care from the provider they know and trust, and has had devastating impacts on the community already. Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading reproductive healthcare provider and advocate and each year more than 120,000 Texans count on them for family planning and sexual healthcare. We are proud to support Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.
If you want to help and are able to, please send donations and get more info here: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-greater-texas/charitable-giving
Or
Text “DALLAS” to 41444 to donate
Text “STAND” to 22422 to Get Involved
