Over 400 big businesses have jointly said that they want to see the Equality Act passed. The legislation would extend civil rights protections to LGBTQ people in the US.
The businesses concerned have joined the ‘Business Coalition for the Equality Act’, set up by Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
The Equality Act was passed by the House of Representatives in March. However, it faces a tougher battle to be passed by the Senate, which is split equally between Democrats and Republicans.
One Democratic Senator, West Virginia’s Joe Manchin III, has already indicated he might not support the Act, which alone could scupper its chances.
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Related: Joe Manchin may have officially killed the Equality Act & the rest of Biden’s agenda
Household name companies to sign up to the coalition (which was first launched in 2016 but has grown steadily in the last five years), include Apple, Airbnb, Amazon, PepsiCo, General Motors, CVS, Facebook, Marriott, Capital One, Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza, Tesla, Pfizer, and Home Depot. They believe the Act will be good for business and is the right thing to do.
“We are seeing growing support from business leaders because they understand that the Equality Act is good for their employees, good for their businesses and good for our country,’ said HRC President Alphonso David in a statement.
The 416 business in the coalition employ over 14.6 millions Americans and have a combined revenue of over $6.8 trillion.
“Employers care about their employees’ ability to rent an apartment, send their kids to school, visit the dentist, and pick up the groceries free from discrimination,” continued David.
“They realize that when LGBTQ employees and their family members are protected in their daily lives, it makes them more secure and confident in their jobs, and also more productive.”
At the moment, 29 states lack nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people.
The Equality Act has been debated in Congress before but has repeatedly failed when it came in front of the Senate.
Although many corporates have voiced backing for the Equality Act, the number of large companies pledging support through the HRC has doubled in the past two years.
“Dow has been a proud supporter of the Equality Act since it was first introduced; and we continue advocating for the full inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in the eyes of the law,” said Louis Vega, President, Dow North America, another of the Coalition members.
Related: Lauren Boebert says Equality Act is supremacy for “gays, lesbians … transvestites”
“It’s time that civil rights protections be extended to LGBT+ individuals nationwide on a clear, consistent, and comprehensive basis,” said Carla Grant Pickens, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer with IBM.
This is not the first time HRC has turned to big business for support. In 2015 it helped persuade 380 companies to sign an Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court, asking it to pass marriage equality.
Cam
The real question, are any of them simultaneously donating to anti-LGBTQ politicians.
Chrisk
They’re just in touch with the average American. Not the fringe right wingers.
DCFarmboy
Of those three companies, only at Pepsi is their anti-discrimination pledge a legally enforceable part of the employee’s contract. With Starbucks it is only a promise and we saw Amazon in Alabama stridently opposing employee rights.
Manrico Jimenez
Joe Manchin is the highest-profile antigay Democrat in the country. He also voted against the repeal of DADT. If Democrats regained Senate seats in Pennsylvania and North Carolina we wouldn’t be dependent on this joker.
Fahd
I can’t see it getting through the Senate right now, and unless the Democrats get really busy, the results of the 2022 election aren’t going to make things any easier. Still, this is important work in delegitimizing opposition to gay rights.
Providing civil rights protections to gay people is matter of human dignity and the right thing to do. I don’t like couching things in “corporations should support gay rights, because it’s good for business”, but whatever works, I guess.
Now if the HRC can help the Democrats hold the house and get a few more Democratic senators, that would really be something.
tjack47
I want equal civil rights, and I won’t settle for being a second class citizen any longer. Manchin is a Republican in a Democrat’s clothing. His office needs to be flooded with calls, mail, email, people showing up to meet and greet, but, most of all these businesses in West Virginia ought to remind him of the jobs and tax revenue they bring to his constituents. He needs to be checked.
Beanie16
Of course it won’t get passed the Senate and now that we see that the Republikkkans have somehow screwed with the census good luck getting anything done.
And it’s funny that HRC has Home Depot doing this, maybe because they hire people from our community, but they won’t say Jack shit about the new Georgia voter suppression laws even though they are based in Atlanta.
Too bad because after buying windows and having a new kitchen designed I will be taking that design, thanks HD, and walking across the street to Lowes .
muscl954
Unless they withhold their campaign contributions, their words mean nothing. Watch what they do, not what they say.