Apple, other tech companies decry North Carolina anti-LGBT law
Big tech companies like Apple, Facebook and Google have voiced opposition to the passing of a controversial North Carolina law that dissolves anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community.
Apple's Maiden, N.C. solar farm. | Source: Apple
Gov. Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2 (PDF link) into law on Wednesday after the anti-LGBT legislation sped through a special General Assembly session earlier this week. Dubbed HB2, the bill is a direct response to a recently adopted Charlotte ordinance protecting transgender individuals' rights to use bathrooms of the gender with which they identify.
The law's passage drew sharp criticism from civil rights groups, sports organizations and a variety of large businesses. As reported by The Charlotte Observer's Katie Peralta, Apple spoke out against HB2 on Thursday, joining a chorus of condemnation from influential tech companies including Cisco, Facebook, Google, IBM, Intel, Salesforce and others.
"Apple Stores and our company are open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. That's why we support the federal Equality Act," Apple said in a statement. "Our future as Americans should be focused on inclusion and prosperity, and not discrimination and division. We were disappointed to see Governor McCrory sign this legislation."
Apple, whose brand message of inclusion sits in diametric opposition to the new pro-discrimination statute, is in a sticky situation as it also holds substantial, and permanent, investments in the state.
Unlike some other corporations that have transient ties with North Carolina, Apple operates not only five retail locations, but a massive data center in Maiden and three equally large solar farms. In a related development, Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff threatened to move his firm's upcoming Connections conference in Georgia if a similar bill passed there. Apple cannot simply relocate its infrastructure.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, a recognized civil rights advocate who has in the past leveraged his high-profile position to denounce discrimination, has yet to broach the subject.
Apple's Maiden, N.C. solar farm. | Source: Apple
Gov. Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2 (PDF link) into law on Wednesday after the anti-LGBT legislation sped through a special General Assembly session earlier this week. Dubbed HB2, the bill is a direct response to a recently adopted Charlotte ordinance protecting transgender individuals' rights to use bathrooms of the gender with which they identify.
The law's passage drew sharp criticism from civil rights groups, sports organizations and a variety of large businesses. As reported by The Charlotte Observer's Katie Peralta, Apple spoke out against HB2 on Thursday, joining a chorus of condemnation from influential tech companies including Cisco, Facebook, Google, IBM, Intel, Salesforce and others.
"Apple Stores and our company are open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. That's why we support the federal Equality Act," Apple said in a statement. "Our future as Americans should be focused on inclusion and prosperity, and not discrimination and division. We were disappointed to see Governor McCrory sign this legislation."
Apple, whose brand message of inclusion sits in diametric opposition to the new pro-discrimination statute, is in a sticky situation as it also holds substantial, and permanent, investments in the state.
Unlike some other corporations that have transient ties with North Carolina, Apple operates not only five retail locations, but a massive data center in Maiden and three equally large solar farms. In a related development, Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff threatened to move his firm's upcoming Connections conference in Georgia if a similar bill passed there. Apple cannot simply relocate its infrastructure.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, a recognized civil rights advocate who has in the past leveraged his high-profile position to denounce discrimination, has yet to broach the subject.
Comments
With regard to this situation...this state legislation is in response to an ordinance passed in the city of Charlotte that was extremely controversial. The state passed its measure to strike the local measure down.
Restrooms are assigned by sex, not by gender. Gender is open to cultural interpretation, but biological sex is not. There are serious risks to creating open bathrooms, and hurt feelings isn't one of them.
Before the most tolerant and open minded people on these boards close their minds and start calling me hateful and bigoted, please note that I am all for equality. But, we must find a better solution than open restrooms.
oh, and just who is going to enforce the toilet issue? State marshals posted just inside each restroom to somehow verify the physical gender of everyone entering who wants to use the john? More big government.
I do agree that politicians are prone to do the opposite of what those who voted them in wanted them to do.
Read this...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_differences_in_humans
And in particular, this...
"Therefore, direct sex differences are usually binary in expression (although the deviations in complex biological processes produce a menagerie of exceptions)."
I'm not sure menagerie is the best choice of word there, but it'll have to do. How do you propose society respect the members of that menagerie?
I get it. You don't think this is real, that transgender people are just those who want to dress up like the other sex. You're wrong.
That being said, this is a bill about common sense in the bathroom. That may not appeal to the people of Fantasy Land, but in flyover country we're not insane like the radicals.