Tech Industry Leaders Send Bathroom Bill Message To Texas Governor
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - As Texas Governor Greg Abbott delays making a decision about whether to call state lawmakers back to work for a special legislative session, the heads of some of the largest tech businesses in the world sent a message to the state leader.
Fourteen big business CEO's, including the heads of Apple, Microsoft Corp., Facebook, IBM, Amazon and Dell Technologies, sent Abbott a letter concerning Texas' "bathroom bill" proposal that targets transgender people.
The letter began -
"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."
Months ago the Texas Senate approved a sweeping proposal requiring transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to the gender on their birth certificates — similar to a law that sparked national outcry and boycotts worth billions of dollars in lost revenue in North Carolina last year.
The CEOs explained part of their reasoning stating -
"As large employees 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 Texas House last weekend approved a scaled-back measure applying only to public schools, which educate some 5.3 million students. It bars transgender students from choosing the bathroom they use, but allows schools to direct them to separate, single occupancy facilities.
Both the NFL and NBA have put Texas on notice that the state will be overlooked for future big events if lawmakers pass the bathroom bill. While the tech CEOs did not go so far as to say they would move their businesses from the Lone Star State they ended their letter with this statement -
"We strongly urge you [Abbott] and the Texas legislature not to further pursue legislation of this kind."
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
