NC businesses stay mostly silent as state lawmakers push LGBTQ+ legislation
Republican state lawmakers are pushing roughly a dozen bills that opponents say target LGBTQ people in North Carolina.
Some people believe the bills bring flashbacks to 2016 and House Bill 2, often referred to as the bathroom bill, which required that people use the bathroom of their gender assigned at birth.
According to an analysis conducted by the Associated Press in 2017, the state lost more than $3.7 billion because of that law restricting LGBTQ rights.
Companies canned expansion plans, performers canceled concerts and the NCAA moved events out of the state after HB 2.
This time around, the business community is staying mostly quiet about what's happening inside the North Carolina legislature.
“A lot of people are afraid,” said Diversity Movement Diversity Equity and Inclusion consultant Susie Silver. “They’re afraid of what might happen to their bottom line.”
Silver helps companies of every size become more diverse and inclusive places for people to work.
“Employees matter, and we don’t always know who they love, who they are, do they feel safe coming into your organization?” Silver said.
Silver said bills that threaten the LGBTQ community will hurt businesses in the state and their ability to recruit employees.
“They’re looking for inclusive organizations,” Silver said. “They’re looking for environments with activities that are inclusive for their kids or their family members. They’re looking for health care.”
State lawmakers are considering bills that would criminalize drag shows, ban transgender athletes from female sports teams and require teachers to notify parents if a student is questioning their gender.
WRAL News asked some of the Triangle's largest private employers and companies with headquarters here for their stance on these bills. Only software company Pendo responded as of Thursday evening.
"Pendo is headquartered in Raleigh and we plan to operate in North Carolina for years to come," CEO TOdd Olson wrote. "As a member of the business community here, we want to ensure it's a welcoming state for both current and future employees and their families.
"Everyone is welcome at Pendo as we believe it’s important to our success. We are proud of our workplace culture and will continue to provide a welcoming, supportive, and safe environment for each and every employee and their family, regardless of potential law changes in North Carolina."
Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Newton brought up the potential backlash.
“I'm going to ask our business community to strengthen its back,” Newton said.
Newton said he doesn't expect the same kind of pressure from businesses as the state saw with HB 2.
“If you look at Anheuser-Busch, you look at Disney, I think the business community is waking up to the notion that they need to serve their shareholders, complete their fiduciary duty to their shareholders and stay out of the politics of social issues,” Newton said.
