Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday
reiterated his call for Congress to approve the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit workplace
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Cook made his remarks in accepting a
Lifetime Achievement Award from Auburn University, where he earned
his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering.
Reading from an iPad, Cook said that
respect for human dignity had led Apple to support ENDA.
“These values also guide us to
educate the employees of companies we work with on their human
rights. We've provided training for more than two million people
around the world, many of whom work in our factories. These values
lead us to insist that the companies we work with comply with our
code of conduct, which in many cases goes far beyond laws.”
“These values have also recently
guided us to support legislation that demands equality and
non-discrimination for all employees, regardless of who they love.
This legislation, known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act,
prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender
identity. I have long believed in this. And Apple has implemented
protections for employees even when the laws did not. Now is the
time to write these basic principles of human dignity into the book
of law.”
“We have an opportunity to continue
our progress with respect to race. And also to embrace immigration
reform and eliminate discrimination of the GLBT community,” he
added. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Cook, who
is rumored to be gay, first called for passage of ENDA in a Wall
Street Journal op-ed last month.