Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Silicon Valley prides itself on being LGBT friendly (maybe not for sex discrimination) in hiring of LGBT employees. But I have to wonder how deep that commitment goes, will it be a factor in where Amazon picks headquarters 2?

'No Gay? No Way' is wrong message on Amazon HQ2 decision

• LGBT activists want Amazon to reject bids for its second headquarters from cities located in states without civil right protections.
• Urging employers, like Amazon, to boycott and sidestep states and regions wholesale, is flawed at best and risky and harmful at worst.
• Welcoming more forward-thinking companies will help raise the tide of equality in states that lack protections now.

CNBC
By Ryan Roemerman and Bob Witeck
20 Feb 2018

Last fall, Amazon spurred a 21st Century gold rush by inviting every U.S. city and state to bid for their second corporate headquarters. Who could resist the economic genie promising thousands of jobs and potential billions in revenues?

While the suspense mounts, however, some LGBT activists declared "No Gay? No Way" to pressure Amazon to avoid all states that cannot offer statewide LGBT civil rights protections. The activists' case emerged first on a website, unsourced and unsigned. When asked about the campaign by a journalist, one of the unnamed activists remarked the "campaign is not meant to harm the gay people who live in the nine cities" [in unprotected states] that are bidding for Amazon's foothold.

As LGBT leaders in Georgia and Virginia, we take that in good faith. However, we also fear that urging employers, like Amazon, to boycott and sidestep states and regions wholesale, is flawed at best and risky and harmful at worst.

If you are trans, lesbian, or gay employee what would you think if they pick a city where their employees could denied services at restaurants or other public accommodations?  Why would a company pick a  location where their employees can refuse to work just because they say “it is against my religious beliefs” I know that I wouldn’t want have a business in those states.

Some argue that Amazon and businesses like them can be used to leverage pro-LGBT legislation.

They know firsthand the impact that progressive leaders like Amazon can do to help fuel LGBT civil rights. We've seen the clout corporations can have when they successfully work with LGBT communities from North Carolina to Indiana and states to defeat and derail so-called religious freedom laws. In Texas for example, last fall, major corporations across the state united to stop anti-LGBT legislation in its tracks. Two years ago, here in Georgia, many companies banded together to persuade our Republican Governor to veto anti-gay legislation.

But what I say is to let the states know why you didn’t chose them was because of their anti-LGBT policies. I say that if you move to a state like North Carolina while you work to change the law your employees will be facing disctimination.

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It is a secret… sh…

The deadline has come and going, was the policy to ban trans servicemembers secretly submitted to Trump?

Mattis faces deadline today on the military’s transgender policy
Military Times
By: Tara Copp
February 21, 2018

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis faced a Wednesday deadline to provide President Donald Trump guidance on transgender service members, as news reports surfaced revealing that the president initiated the ban last summer without consulting his top general.

“Things are at a very confusing moment right now,” said Shannon Minter, who is representing transgender personnel in two of the four federal lawsuits challenging Trump’s ban.

“When President Trump issued his official memorandum [in August of 2017] he ordered Mattis in that memo to provide the president with a written plan on how to implement the plan by Feb 21. So we’ve all been waiting, It’s obviously an important recommendation on exactly how the plan would be implemented.”

Well the deadline came and went but no policy… or was it?

“The secretary has his recommendation for the President but has not provided it yet. When he’s ready to provide it, he will,” Eastburn said.

The guidance is not expected to be made public, several defense officials told Military Times.

So is there a secret policy banning trans servicemembers?

What is going to happen on March 23^rd?