Nearly a dozen executives have signed
on to an open letter calling on Mississippi to repeal a so-called
religious freedom law they criticized as discriminatory.
The law, signed Tuesday by Republican
Governor Phil Bryant, allows religious organizations and businesses
related to the wedding industry to deny service to gay and
transgender people. The law protects individuals – including state
workers – who believe for religious reasons that marriage is
reserved for heterosexual couples. It is a response to the Supreme
Court's June 2015 finding that gay couples have a constitutional
right to marry.
“We are disappointed to see the
legislature and governor’s office pass discriminatory legislation,”
the
executives wrote. “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 1523 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 country. It will also diminish the state’s draw as a
destination for tourism, new businesses, and economic activity.”
“Furthermore, schools, employers, and
service providers could refuse transgender people access to
appropriate sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender
identity – all in direct conflict with the U.S. Department of
Justice’s enforcement of federal law. HB 1523 even legalizes Kim
Davis-style discrimination by allowing government employees to
abdicate their duties and refuse to license or solemnize marriages
for LGBT people,” they wrote, a reference to the Kentucky clerk who
unsuccessfully fought to keep her office from issuing marriage
licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
“As companies that pride ourselves on
being inclusive and welcoming to all, we strongly urge you to repeal
this bill,” they added.
The letter is signed by Chip Bergh, CEO
of Levi Strauss & Co., Alex Dimitrief, senior vice president at
GE, Sandy Douglas, executive vice president at the Coca-Cola Company,
Steve Joyce, CEO of Choice Hotels, Andrew N. Liveris, CEO of Dow
Chemical, Bob Page, CEO of Replacements, Ltd., Walter Robb, co-CEO of
Whole Foods, Brian Tippens, chief diversity officer at HP, Robb Webb,
chief human resources officer at Hyatt Hotels, Tony West, executive
vice president of government affairs at PepsiCo.
Other companies that have separately
condemned the law include Nissan Group, Tyson Foods, MGM Resorts,
Toyota, AT&T, IBM, MassMutual and the Mississippi Manufacturers
Association (MMA).