Legislatures in Texas, Missouri, Tennessee and others are considering measures that would place restrictions on transgender people, sparking opposition from Amazon, IBM, Marriott and other corporations.
The companies’ involvement is likely to elicit blowback from Republicans, who say corporate America should not play an active role in politics.
More than 70 major companies have opposed state legislation targeting transgender people, including AT&T, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Uber and Verizon. Those companies have signed a statement from the Human Rights Campaign against anti-LGBTQ bills.
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“The view behind the curtain for executives right now is some of them are LGBTQ themselves, some of them are parents or brothers and sisters of an LGBTQ person, and they have a deep personal investment in LGBTQ equality,” decaled Deena Fidas, managing director of Out & Equal, an organization focused on LGBTQ workplace equality.
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“But they also are looking strategically and with the business mindset that if we want to expand operations in Texas, this is now a barrier,” she added, referring to bills making their way through the state legislature in Austin.
One of those bills would consider transition care as child abuse, and one would prohibit transgender student athletes from participating on sports teams outside of what the legislation calls their biological sex.
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“It’s an attack not only on fundamental fairness and basic rights, it’s also an attack on strategic business initiatives,” Fidas noted.
The Human Rights Campaign reveals that there are over 120 bills it considers anti-transgender making their way through state legislatures. The group notes 66 of those would “ban transgender girls and women from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.”
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Above 40 corporations and chambers of commerce have signed on to a letter opposing efforts to exclude transgender youth “from full participation in their communities.”
“Such legislation would send a message that is at odds with the Texas we know, and with our own efforts to attract and retain the best talent and to compete for business. We will continue to oppose any unnecessary, divisive measures that would damage Texas’ reputation and make customers, our visitors, and our employees and their families feel unwelcome or unsafe,” the companies wrote.
American Airlines, which is based in Texas, signed on, along with companies like Apple and Amazon that are headquartered on the West Coast.
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“Equity and inclusion are core values critical to the success of our company, and laws that create unequal treatment are not only bad policy, but are also bad for business,” said Molly Wilkinson, vice president of regulatory affairs, at American Airlines.
Some company executives have voiced their opposition directly to state lawmakers.Technology companies have been some of the most vocal in their opposition.
Still, many GOP-led states are moving forward with legislation. The Oklahoma state House on Tuesday passed a bill that would ban transgender girls and women from participating in sports, from elementary school to post-secondary level.
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