Apple's Tim Cook encourages US House to pass sexual orientation nondiscrimination act

Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 2014
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook took to Twitter on Friday to again express his support for the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, a proposed bill that would make it illegal for companies to discriminate in hiring based on gender identity or sexual orientation.




The act, dubbed ENDA, has been presented to Congress since 1994, but has yet to pass into law. Cook said on Friday that he believes the U.S. House of Representatives should mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, signed into law by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, by finally passing ENDA after 20 years.

Tagged in Cook's post were Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, and Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer.

In a separate post, Cook quoted the iconic protest song of the American Civil Rights Movement, "We Shall Overcome." He also shared a picture of Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act while Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. looked on.

"Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act," Cook wrote. "Much done but much left to do."

Cook's support of ENDA has been well publicized before, as the CEO penned an editorial in The Wall Street Journal last November urging U.S. senators to pass the act -- which it did, in a 64 to 32 vote. The bill has not yet gone up for a vote in the House.

ENDA would prohibit most employers from discriminating in hiring based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition to official passage through the U.S. Senate, the bill has also been given public support by President Barack Obama.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 247
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    Clearly won't happen while Republicans control the House.
  • Reply 2 of 247
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    This should be an interesting thread

  • Reply 3 of 247
    I am a long time Apple customer, 1978 Apple II.
    It troubles me anytime a CEO uses his position to push his own agenda.
  • Reply 4 of 247
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    I disagree with Tim Cook.

     

    I don't have any problems with hiring a gay person of course, if they were the best qualified for the job, that is what's important. But I would most likely have to pass on hiring any sexually confused people. Those people should go work for FB, since FB has a gazillion different choices for gender. What a joke. And no, you don't get to choose that you are a female or something else, if you actually have male sexual organs. You are what you are. If somebody goes around and really wishes that they were a hippopotamus, that doesn't make it so, no matter how much they wish that they were. People are what they are. There are probably thousands of lunatics in various mental asylums that think that they're Napoleon. 

     

    I recently read about a transgender athlete suing, because they weren't allowed to compete on the female team! What a damn joke! The confused transgender person is obviously perpetrating a scam. 

  • Reply 5 of 247
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tome01 View Post



    I am a long time Apple customer, 1978 Apple II.

    It troubles me anytime a CEO uses his position to push his own agenda.

     

    Equal rights aren't an "agenda" and it shouldn't be considered "politics" either. And just for the record, equal rights should NEVER be put up for a vote. 

     

    It's time to pass laws like ENDA to ensure equal rights for all. 

  • Reply 6 of 247
    dreyfus2dreyfus2 Posts: 1,072member
    tome01 wrote: »
    I am a long time Apple customer, 1978 Apple II.
    It troubles me anytime a CEO uses his position to push his own agenda.

    What makes you think so? Every US enterprise depends on talent from all over the world, and making the environment less hostile will attract more talented people. This should be in everybody's best interest (besides being the right thing in the first place).
  • Reply 7 of 247
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tome01 View Post



    I am a long time Apple customer, 1978 Apple II.

    It troubles me anytime a CEO uses his position to push his own agenda.

     

    What agenda would that be??? He's still a citizen like everyone else in the US and can have his say whether or not he's CEO of a large company. 

  • Reply 8 of 247
    mariomario Posts: 348member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tome01 View Post



    I am a long time Apple customer, 1978 Apple II.

    It troubles me anytime a CEO uses his position to push his own agenda.



    I am a long time citizen and it troubles me when Christian bigots use their political position to push their religious agenda on everyone (remember, religion is now debunked bunch of bronze age lies).

  • Reply 9 of 247
    mariomario Posts: 348member

    H

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

     

    This should be an interesting thread




    Yes, this will bring Christians out of the woods bashing gay people over shellfish dinner.

  • Reply 10 of 247
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    How would one know if they were denied a position based on sexual orientation? Should we also ban companies for discriminating based on hair color, tattoos, facial piercings, looks etc.
  • Reply 11 of 247
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    I disagree with Tim Cook.

     

    I don't have any problems with hiring a gay person of course, if they were the best qualified for the job, that is what's important. But I would most likely have to pass on hiring any sexually confused people. Those people should go work for FB, since FB has a gazillion different choices for gender. What a joke. And no, you don't get to choose that you are a female or something else, if you actually have male sexual organs. You are what you are. If somebody goes around and really wishes that they were a hippopotamus, that doesn't make it so, no matter how much they wish that they were. People are what they are. There are probably thousands of lunatics in various mental asylums that think that they're Napoleon. 


    Sometimes you come across as confused pre-teen. Seriously.

  • Reply 12 of 247
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by paxman View Post

     

    Sometimes you come across as confused pre-teen. Seriously.


    I'm not the one who's confused here.

     

    I know which box to check off on the application where it says gender.

     

    I wouldn't hire anybody who is obviously confused and has mental issues and comes with various baggage.

  • Reply 13 of 247

    How about we just do away with discrimination altogether - Including not discriminating against people like a certain CEO who ended up resigning just two weeks after he was hired? Does anyone else sense the double standard?

  • Reply 14 of 247
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tome01 View Post



    I am a long time Apple customer, 1978 Apple II.

    It troubles me anytime a CEO uses his position to push his own agenda.

    Except this concerns basic human rights. It is long overdue and I take my hat off to TC for using his position to encourage decision makers to challenge their own bigotry.

  • Reply 15 of 247
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    apple ][ wrote: »
    I disagree with Tim Cook.

    I don't have any problems with hiring a gay person of course, if they were the best qualified for the job, that is what's important. But I would most likely have to pass on hiring any sexually confused people. Those people should go work for FB, since FB has a gazillion different choices for gender. What a joke. And no, you don't get to choose that you are a female or something else, if you actually have male sexual organs. You are what you are. If somebody goes around and really wishes that they were a hippopotamus, that doesn't make it so, no matter how much they wish that they were. People are what they are. There are probably thousands of lunatics in various mental asylums that think that they're Napoleon. 

    I recently read about a transgender athlete suing, because they weren't allowed to compete on the female team! What a damn joke! The confused transgender person is obviously perpetrating a scam. 

    I rarely see ignorant bigotry on AI.

    Here's hoping you don't post a lot of it.
  • Reply 16 of 247
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Why just gays and women? And who, exactly is not being hired because they're gay? How in the world would you prove it?
  • Reply 17 of 247
    9secondko9secondko Posts: 929member

    @ Quadra - LOL.  What an intolerant joke you are. That's not bigotry. that's common sense.

     

    Job qualification are what makes the employee. Not personal choices in lifestyle.

     

    And if you think a boy needs to use a girls bathroom because he wants to pretend he's a girl, then you need help.

     

    If you think a man should be allowed to compete against girl because he thinks he is a girl, then you need help.

     

    Seems to be a pattern there.

     

    Stay out of politics Tim. Stick to making the best products in the world.

  • Reply 18 of 247
    paulmjohnsonpaulmjohnson Posts: 1,380member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    I'm not the one who's confused here.

     

    I know which box to check off on the application where it says gender.

     

    I wouldn't hire anybody who is obviously confused and has mental issues and comes with various baggage.


    So, you wouldn't have hired someone like Sophie Wilson, born Roger Wilson, creator of the instruction set for the first ARM processor, which now has lineage to the A series of Applied chips on the grounds that she is "confused"?

     

    I try and hire people who are brilliant.

  • Reply 19 of 247
    tome01 wrote: »
    I am a long time Apple customer, 1978 Apple II.
    It troubles me anytime a CEO uses his position to push his own agenda.

    So it bothers you when the Koch brothers contribute millions to advance their political agenda? It bothers you when businesses lobby against "Obamacare"? Just trying to clarify.
  • Reply 20 of 247
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 9secondko View Post

     

    If you think a man should be allowed to compete against girl because he thinks he is a girl, then you need help.

     


     

    Exactly.

     

    That is not bigotry, that is just plain common sense, backed up by science and facts.

     

    If "Julia" is actually a male and six feet tall and muscular, then no, I do not think that they should be allowed to compete with females. 

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