More CEOs, governments speak against North Carolina law
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Human Rights Campaign Executive Director Chad Griffin, center, speaks at a news conference at the old state Capitol Building on March 30 in Raleigh, N.C.
RALEIGH, N.C. » More company CEOs and municipal officials are joining other government and business leaders opposing North Carolina’s new law that prevents specific anti-discrimination rules for LGBT people for public accommodations and restroom use.
The Human Rights Campaign and Equality North Carolina released today the names of another 10 company executives that have signed on to a letter criticizing the law and seeking its repeal, bringing the number of names to more than 120. New executives include those from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Qualcomm and EMC Corp.
The law, approved by the Republican legislature and GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, responded to a Charlotte City Council ordinance approved in February that would have extended protections to gays and lesbians as well as bisexual and transgender people while at hotels, restaurants and stores. Charlotte also would have allowed transgender people to use the restroom aligned with their gender identity.
Separately today, the venture capital arm of Google’s parent corporation confirmed it won’t invest in North Carolina startup businesses while the law is in place. GV spokeswoman Jodi Olson cited written comments by CEO Bill Maris in which he asked his firm’s partners to flag possible North Carolina investments because he’s “not comfortable deploying dollars into startups there until the voters there fix this.” The move was first reported by Re/code, a tech-focused news site.
The new law blocked Charlotte’s rules and prevented other local governments from approving similar ordinances. And government agencies of all kinds must now require people who use multi-stall public restrooms to use the one that corresponds with their biological sex.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and Boston’s city council also this week banned government-connected travel to North Carolina as a sign of opposition to the law. Similar travel bans have been issued by the governors of Washington, New York and Connecticut and by other cities.
A rally was held early Friday night in front of the Legislative Building to support transgender people and to oppose the law. Supporters of the new law held prayer vigils Thursday night in multiple locations in eastern North Carolina. One was held across from the Executive Mansion, where McCrory lives.
Supporters of the law say hundreds of businesses support the law and have signed on to their own letter praising McCrory and the legislature.
McCrory and a key lawmaker this week suggested some changes are possible to the law. But Senate leader Phil Berger, has no appetite for them because “an overwhelming majority of North Carolinians we’ve heard from support” the law, spokeswoman Shelly Carver said in a release. The General Assembly reconvenes April 25.
27 responses to “More CEOs, governments speak against North Carolina law”
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All of them might as well just append the name of Mississippi to those statements, because the new law Mississippi rushed through their legislature is even worse.
All these companies and governments need to be held accountable monetarily and criminally when the first female child is attacked by a male predator using the “identifying as a female” excuse. I wonder how many of these governments and companies now allow males identifying as females to use female restrooms and locker rooms in their facilities. The majority of NC residents don’t want Charlotte’s law. Why should they have to put up with it for less than one percent of the population?
You’re lying if you are suggesting that the kind of attack you are writing about has ever happened. No one in the NC legislature could cite even one instance. So you can continue with your fantasies, but no one should believe you.
The Charlotte law didn’t take effect yet, so of course it couldn’t have happened yet.
You can marinate in your hate and ignorance, and stay in your 1950 time warp as long as you want. The world has passed you by.
“I wonder how many of these governments and companies now allow males identifying as females to use female restrooms and locker rooms in their facilities.” I suspect they do unless they’re morally bankrupt and flaming hypocrites. But I agree, it would be nice to see verifiable evidence in the form of unambiguous public position statements by each of these entities that such is the case. A simple and plain-English statement should take all of five minutes to draft and electronically publish, or do you’d think.
There are laws on the books protecting LGBT people across the country that have been in place for years and no incidents like the one your describing have ever occurred. It’s a civil rights issue, not a political correctness issue. Good for the company and government entities that are punishing N. Caroline’s Republican yahoos for their bigotry.
Homophobic hysteria…..it’s one of key features of both a small mind and small heart.
It’s also what gets Republican imbeciles (most of them, it seems) to vote.
I don’t see these companies pulling out of the Middle East, where they kill LGBT people, or China where their human rights are atrocious. Hypocrites.
B-I-N-G-O !
Agreed. This transition all happened in the past 7 years–“The Great Divider”.
You’re lying, as you always do. The world was getting less ignorant (except for you and you comrades, of course) long before Mr. Obama was elected.
In order to avoid being called “hypocrites,” do you think that Walmart, which has sold shrimp peeled in Thailand by slaves, should be allowed to employ slaves in their stores in North Carolina?
Walmart employees in NC make a little over $9.00 an hour, which is more than Hawaii’s minimum wage, so I guess another dem state is paying below your slave wages.
Yes, it’s shameful. Many Hawaii legislators are Democrats in name only. Their behavior belies the heavily pro-business, anti-consumer philosophy. Hawaii taxes are heavily weighted in favor of the rich and against the middle class and working poor.
Missed my point completely.
Walmart is shielded by what’s called plausible deniability because they rely on subordinate layers of proxies, middlemen and at the bottom, local flunkies, to prepare, pack, and transport the shrimp. “It’s nothing personal you understand, just doing business.”
The companies know they can create change inside their own country, the United States. Hopefully, they’ll make an example of the U.S. for other nations to follow.
Well, any government entity, corporation or individual person can be bought given enough greed and monetary incentive. Even Mother Teresa probably had her price when you come right down to it.
Georgia’s Governor recently backtracked on signing a bill of similar origin, because of the possibility of losing MANY entertainment and other businesses. Glad he came to his senses.
Exactly. The only thing Republicans understand is money. They can’t do anything because it’s the right thing to do. But if their wallets are threatened, they somehow become sensible.
We must remember the innocent children who are faced with many challenges and some don’t make it and sadly the commit suicide. Need to protect the innocent children.
The North Carolina law is straightforward and common sense. If you are born with a penis, you use a male restroom and if you are born with a vagina you use a female restroom. What makes that discrimination? Are we now to accommodate every nut job based on how they feel or how they identity themselves? Liberals, of course, will say yes. So what is next? Hawaii has a law that says you must be 21 to smoke or purchase tobacco products. If an 18 year old guy feels like 21 or identifies himself as a 21-yesr old, shouldn’t he be permitted to smoke or purchase tobacco? Well, why not. If it is ok for a guy who feels like a girl to use a female restroom it should be ok for an 18 year old who feels like 21 to smoke. I would like to know what Klastri thinks.
It’s hard to believe that adults can actually be this ignorant. It’s remarkable.
to solve the transgender, bisexual and other sexes just change the bathroom logo’s from men and women to penus and vagina all problems solved. agree with ronin.
You agree with him? Shocking! Why try to understand medicine and science. It’s much better to wallow in ignorance.