Demi Lovato stands against HB2 during Billboard Music Awards

Singer Demi Lovato donned a black T-shirt with a bathroom symbol during her performance at the Billboard Music Awards Sunday night to show her support for the transgender community and her opposition to North Carolina’s controversial new LGBT law, House Bill 2.

A replica of Lovato’s T-shirt will be sold during her Honda Civic tour: Future Now, and the proceeds will be donated to LGBT organizations in North Carolina, according to GLAAD, an LGBT nonprofit.

“By wearing her support for the transgender community, Lovato is raising critical visibility for vulnerable LGBT North Carolinians and sending an invaluable message of support to transgender people everywhere,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.

T-shirt sale proceeds will go to Equality NC, which is focused on equal rights and justice for North Carolina’s LGBT community, as well as Time Out Youth, a Charlotte-based community center that provides support and services for LGBT youth, GLAAD said.

Last month, Lovato and Nick Jonas said they were canceling a July 2 concert in Raleigh and a June 30 concert at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena because they oppose HB2.

“North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2 law is extremely disappointing, and it takes away some of the LGBT community’s most basic rights and protections. But we will not allow this to stop us from continuing to make progress for equality and acceptance,” the two wrote in a joint letter posted on Twitter.

House Bill 2 sets a statewide definition of protected classes of citizens that doesn’t include sexual orientation and gender identity. It also nullified a Charlotte ordinance that would have allowed transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

Lovato was given the Vanguard Award at the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in April because of her work to advance equality and acceptance of the LGBT community, GLAAD said.

This story was originally published May 23, 2016 at 7:33 AM with the headline "Demi Lovato stands against HB2 during Billboard Music Awards."