Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is the latest entertainer to pull out of a planned gig in the American South, in a state that had passed a so-called "Religious Freedom" bill that legalizes anti-LGBT bigotry and legislates where transgender people are allowed to use the restroom.

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

Ringo was supposed to perform with his All Starr Band in Cary, North Carolina, where the conservative Republican party state governor Pat McCrory signed the controversial legislation into law last week.  The law mandates that people must use bathrooms that match the gender that is indicated on their birth certificates.  Immediately after that, Bruce Springsteen announced he was cancelling his show in Raleigh. 

But it's not just entertainers squeezing the economic trigger at these hate states.  PayPal announced it is pulling the plug on a new global operations center that was to have brought 400 jobs to Raleigh.  Deutsche Bank has frozen plans to expand in North Carolina, which would have added 250 jobs to its Cary location.  At least 13 conventions have cancelled plans to come to the state because of the Bathroom Bill, and since these sorts of events are planned years in advance, it means that the economic losses caused by bigotry will last for years to come.

Governor McCrory is trying to mitigate the damage he caused to his state and his plummeting approval rating by signing an executive order that extends new protections for state workers based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  But the order leaves unchanged statewide non-discrimination rules that do not provide legal protections for gay and transgender customers in places of public business.  His action failed to stop the movement against the Bathroom Bill - and not one of the protesting entities have stopped the boycott.

Just the hint of this toxic legislation is enough to send businesses fleeing.  Anthony Watson, CEO of Uphold, says he is taking his financial services company from South Carolina to Los Angeles, just because state lawmakers are considering the legislation.  Uphold has handled US$830 million in transactions since 2014.  Like her neighbor Pat McCrory, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is a conservative Republican.  But Haley opposes a Bathroom Bill in her state.  Last Year, she distinguished herself by finally removing the ugly and racist Confederate Flag from South Carolina state buildings. 

Mississippi recently passed a similar bill - Canadian rocker Bryan Adams cancelled his gig there.  And now, actress Sharon Stone has scrapped plans to shoot a movie there this summer.  Producers and director James Cromwell ("Babe") are looking for a new location to pump millions of dollars into the local economy.

Last month, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal - yet another conservative Republican - vetoed a Bathroom Bill passed by his state legislature, denying that he was pressured by the dozens of huge corporations, professional sports leagues, and big budget Hollywood productions that threatened to pull out of his state if the discriminatory law went through.