Tech giants warn Texas over anti-trans bathroom law
Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and others urged Texas to not adopt a “discriminatory” anti-trans “bathroom bill”.
If approved by the Governor, anti-LGBT legislation in Texas would require transgender people to only use public bathrooms corresponding with their sex at birth.
The tech companies have lobbied against the proposal and have wrote a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbot demanding him to stop pursuing the bill.
The letter was signed by the CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Gearbox Software, Google, Celanese Corporation, Salesforce, Cisco, GSD&M, Silicon Labs, Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HP).
The CEOs wrote: “We are writing to express our steadfast opposition to the introduction and passage of any discriminatory legislation in Texas.
“Such laws are bad for our employees and bad for business.”
Since Texas has a unique political system, the state legislature only meets every two years for a period of maximum 140 days.
The state legislature ended this Monday and a partial version of the bill, limited to students in public schools, was passed by lawmakers.
However, now that the session has been adjourned there’s talk that the Gvoernor may call for a special legislative session to pass a broader anti-trans bill.
Abbott has insisted that passing the bathroom bill was his “top priority”.
“As large employers in the state, we are gravely concerned that any such legislation would deeply tarnish Texas’ reputation as open and friendly to businesses and families,” the letter continues.
“Discrimination is wrong and it has no place in Texas or anywhere in our country.”
The ending of the letter clearly states the opposition of the tech companies for the bill.
“We strongly urge you and the Texas legislature not to further pursue legislation of this kind.”
North Carolina,the only state in the US that had a “bathroom bill” in place, repealed it earlier this year, but the decision sparked controversy as the partial-repeal left some discriminatory policies in place.
Governors in Arkansas, Kentucky, and South Dakota have rejected this type of law.
Earlier this month Texas passed a bill that allows adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT people.
The same legislature also passed a bill banning ban transgender athletes from competing.
