More than 100 business leaders are
calling on North Carolina to repeal a law that prohibits local
municipalities from enacting measures that prohibit discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
House Bill 2, which was approved last
month during a one-day special session, also prohibits students in
public institutions from using the bathroom that does not conform to
their gender at birth.
“We are disappointed in your decision
to sign this discriminatory legislation into law,” the
leaders said in a letter to Republican Governor Pat McCrory.
“The business community, by and large, has consistently
communicated to lawmakers at every level that such laws are bad for
our employees and bad for business. This is not a direction in which
states move when they are seeking to provide successful, thriving
hubs for business and economic development. We believe that HB 2 will
make it far more challenging for businesses across the state to
recruit and retain the nation’s best and brightest workers and
attract the most talented students from across the nation. It will
also diminish the state’s draw as a destination for tourism, new
businesses, and economic activity.”
“Discrimination is wrong and we
believe it has no place in North Carolina or anywhere in our country.
As companies that pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to
all, we strongly urge you and the leadership of North Carolina’s
legislature to repeal this law in the upcoming legislative session.”
More than 100 business leaders have
signed on to the letter, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Salesforce CEO
Marc Benioff, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.