In a period when conservatives lean heavily on anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies in order to distract voters from issues that actually matter—like the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic—it can become overwhelming to even begin to decide who is the worst, most dangerous Republican out there. But Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is certainly on the list. Abbott’s been steadfast in ignoring pleas from LGBTQ+ people and allies, but now that a number of global businesses are speaking up, it’s possible he’ll get the message.
In this case, 65 major companies signed an open letter published in The Dallas Morning News on Friday, in which the signees implore the governor to stop anti-LGBTQ+ efforts in the state. There are some seriously big names on the list, including Google, IBM, Patreon, Ikea, LinkedIn, Apple, PayPal, Microsoft, Capital One, and more.
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"Our companies do business, create jobs, and serve customers in Texas,” the letter, which was a joint effort with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) reads in part. “We are committed to building inclusive environments where our employees can thrive inside and outside of the workplace," the letter said. "For years we have stood to ensure LGBTQ+ people—our employees, customers, and their families—are safe and welcomed in the communities where we do business."
In the letter, which ran with the headline “Discrimination is Bad for Business,” signees call out Abbott and Republican legislators in Texas specifically by referencing the “recent attempt” to “criminalize” a parent supporting their trans youth in accessing safe, age-appropriate gender-affirming health care. The letter (accurately) points out that Abbott’s latest directive to have state agencies investigate supportive families “creates fear” for all involved, including children, who may feel pressured to choose between accessing potentially life-saving medical care and being taken from their families.
Writing discrimination into “law and policy,” as the letter puts it, is ethically wrong. It also has an “impact on our employees, our customers, their families, and our work,” the letter states.
It’s no surprise that companies have a hard time recruiting talent to places where discrimination is the word of law, and especially at a time when many companies are making an overt effort to be inclusive—it’s a hard bargain to set up shop in a new location, for example, if that place has hate against marginalized people signed into law. This is also true in terms of workers who have kids, and who may decide where to work and live at least partially based on the needs and opportunities for their families.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to know what will finally make the difference when it comes to Republicans who are doubling down on their transphobia. As Daily Kos has covered, the assault on trans rights has been building especially over the last two years, though it’s not new. We’ve seen discriminatory bathroom bills. Efforts to keep trans girls out of girls’ sports. Attempts to stop trans folks from updating legal identification documents.
More recently, we’ve also seen the infamous Don't Say Gay bill out of Florida, efforts to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming health care to trans youth, and, as is the case in Texas, investigations into parents who support their trans youth in receiving gender-affirming health care, like hormonal therapy and puberty blockers.
There are both victories and losses to acknowledge here. In many states, anti-trans bills have fizzled before reaching the governor’s desk. Judges have stepped in to provide injunctions when possible. Republicans have sided with Democrats to combat hateful measures. And, sadly, these legislations have passed at every level and been signed into law, too. And in Abbott’s case with this anti-trans directive, it’s not even a law—it’s a directive from Abbott based on an opinion by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. And yet it’s being treated as the word of law, with state agencies already investigating a number of families.
In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need to rely on big businesses to appeal to people in power. But few efforts seem to be reaching a certain handful of powerful conservatives in particular—I’m thinking of fellow Republican governors Kristi Noem and Ron DeSantis, for example—so while it’s unknown how much of an impact this ad will have, it’s certainly a better effort than nothing.