WASHINGTON—Major corporations and hotel brands including Hilton, Starwood Hotels and Choice Hotels have signed on to a statement in opposition to House Bill 2, an “anti-LGBT” law recently passed in North Carolina, according to civil rights organizations Human Rights Campaign and Equality NC.
House Bill 2 was introduced after the city of Charlotte, NC, passed an ordinance seeking to protect the right of transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. According to HRC and Equality NC, signatories include Starbucks, Citibank, TD Bank, Hilton, Starwood Hotels, Choice Hotels, eBay, Accenture, Kellogg Company, Reddit, Barnes & Noble, Atlassian, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Ingersoll-Rand, Wasserman and the Wasserman Foundation, CA Technologies and numerous others.
“Discrimination is bad for North Carolina, bad for America, and bad for business,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “These business leaders are speaking out because they know this attack on lesbian, gay, bisexual and especially transgender North Carolinians isn’t just morally wrong—it also puts their employees, customers and North Carolina’s economy at risk. For the sake of all North Carolinians, Gov. McCrory and the General Assembly must act now to repeal this heinous attack on fairness and equality.”
“North Carolina’s place as a business leader in the South is based on fairness, inclusion, and diversity,” said Equality NC Executive Director Chris Sgro. “HB 2 does not represent North Carolina values, and it weakens our competitive edge. We are glad to see our business community in the Old North State standing up against discriminatory measures like this. Our businesses are leading the charge to repair our state to a place of fairness.”