Business

The Associated Press reports: Gov. Tom Wolf says he’ll sign an executive order to prohibit discrimination by state contractors against people who are lesbian, gay or transgender. Wolf told WESA-FM in Pittsburgh on Wednesday that he had hoped the Legislature would pass legislation designed to outlaw discrimination based on someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. But he says he’s decided …

A few days ago I posted an impassioned letter from Bob Page, the openly gay founder and CEO of North Carolina’s Replacements LTD. In an interview published today, Page tells Forbes writer Susan Adams that his letter, which has been viewed over one million times on social media and his company’s website, has generated over 13,000 responses, 98% of which …

NBC Montana reports: Following PayPal’s decision to cancel its expansion plans in North Carolina, Sen. Jon Tester and Gov. Steve Bullock today invited the multi-billion dollar company to open up shop in Montana. Tester and Bullock’s letter to PayPal President and CEO Dan Schulman outlined the many reasons why Big Sky Country is best place to do business and create …

Last week worried organizers of North Carolina’s High Point Market Week, which bills itself as the world’s largest home furnishings industry trade show, revealed that they were being deluged with cancellations in the wake of the state’s anti-LGBT hate law. Yesterday event CEO Bob Maricich issued a statement which slams the “appalling” law and declares that any anger directed towards …

This one could ultimately mean thousands of lost jobs. From Charlotte’s Fox affiliate: Red Ventures is also considering pulling out of their 500 person expansion in 2016 after HB2 was passed. “HB2 does not reflect the values of our people, our state or our democratic process. The speed with which it was passed and lack of constituent input enabled a …

Due to his sexual orientation, Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis never landed the major endorsement deals bestowed on many world class athletes, but today he does finally get his Wheaties box. From the General Mills corporate blog: They are three remarkable athletes who won multiple gold medals while competing against the world’s best. Their accomplishments certainly put them into consideration …

Freedom For All Americans reports: This morning, April 5, Paypal, a global company dedicated to facilitating online payments, announced that it is withdrawing plans to open a new global operations center in Charlotte. The reason for their plans to withdraw? North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which was ramrodded through the North Carolina General Assembly on March 23, with just 12 …

UPDATE: A live video link for the Mississippi House is below. Via press release from the Human Rights Campaign: This morning, advocates from HRC and ACLU of Mississippi gathered outside the Mississippi State Capitol to highlight the discriminatory effects of H.B.1523, urging House Speaker Philip A. Gunn to shelve the bill before this afternoon’s final vote. The outrageous legislation would …

The American Public Transportation Association, which was founded in 1882 and has 1500 member organizations, says they really wish they could cancel their May convention in Charlotte over North Carolina’s hate law, but are unable to nullify their contract. From their statement: APTA is committed to being inclusive and does not condone discrimination of any kind against anyone who works …

As I noted several days ago, organizers of High Point Market Week, which bills itself as the world’s largest home furnishings trade show, say they are being deluged with cancellations in the wake of North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signing his state’s hate bill into law. Yesterday the 26,000-member American Society of Interior Designers issued a statement backing the boycott …

Yesterday was the International Day of Transgender Visibility and in support Wells Fargo lit its 48-story Duke Energy Center tower in Charlotte in pink, white, and blue, which are the colors of the transgender pride flag. Also yesterday Wells Fargo joined the 80+ major corporations who have called for the repeal of North Carolina’s hate law. From the Charlotte Observer: …

Crain’s Chicago reports: Mayor Rahm Emanuel is issuing an executive order banning official city travel to North Carolina. And, seeking to gain from a flap over the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people there, Emanuel says he’ll be contacting North Carolina companies that might be interested in relocating to a “more inclusive” Chicago. In comments after an unrelated …

North Carolina’s openly gay Replacements LTD founder Bob Page today issued a statement in reaction to his state’s hate law. His message in full: Today, I take the unusual step of sending you a personal message. Perhaps you, like millions of others, have heard that North Carolina’s recent passage of House Bill 2 – which has been called the worst …

The New York Times reports: The onslaught of criticism, economic sanctions and a lawsuit being leveled at Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina grew on Tuesday, as the largest corporation in his state joined the fight against a new law that eliminated anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Bank of America, which has its headquarters in Charlotte, …

From a Facebook post by the NC Safe Coalition: “While business owners in other states have received criticism and have even been forced out of business for standing up for common sense, hundreds (334) of North Carolina business owners have signed on to a letter thanking Governor Pat McCrory and the General Assembly for passing a law affirming the privacy …

North Carolina’s High Point Market Week bills itself as the world’s largest home furnishings industry trade show and mere days after the state’s anti-LGBT bill was signed into law, the show’s organizers say they are being deluged with attendee cancellations for next month’s convention, which delivers an estimated $5.4B to the local economy with its spring and fall events. Via …

Yesterday major corporations took to social media or released statements to denounce North Carolina’s new anti-LGBT law. See some of their messages below. Perhaps most prominent among them is IBM, the state’s largest private employer. Fortune reports: Big Blue, North Carolina’s largest employer, posted a statement on Thursday that expressed disappointment with the new law, which LBGT rights supporters widely …

On Saturday, HRC head Chad Griffin asked Hollywood to boycott Georgia if the state’s anti-LGBT “religious liberty” bill becomes law. Today Griffin got his first result. Via the Hollywood Reporter: Disney and its Marvel Studios film unit will not film future movies in Georgia if a controversial bill that critics contend would legalize anti-gay discrimination is signed by that state’s …

The Human Rights Campaign today announced that 60 major corporations have jointly endorsed the Equality Act. Companies on the list include Amazon, Apple, Google, Twitter, IBM, Facebook, Hilton, Hyatt, MasterCard, General Mills, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo. See the full list below. Via press release: Since HRC joined with lawmakers and advocates last July to introduce the Equality Act in Congress, HRC …

Kardashian clan member Kylie Jenner has filed federal trademark applications for her first name. Not having it is gay icon Kylie Minogue, whose representation has fired back with enough legal shade to put Hollywood’s sunblock vendors out of business. Minogue’s opposing filing pointedly notes that Jenner is “home-schooled” and calls her a “secondary reality show personality” who only plays a …