Recently, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, announced that more than 300 major U.S. companies have spoken out against attacks on the LGBTQ+ community by signing on to HRC’s business statement on anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
The list of signatories, which has grown by 50% since the beginning of 2022, presents a unified message that anti-equality legislation is also anti-business, underscoring that assaults on LGBTQ+ rights contradict U.S. public opinion and decades of progress in the workforce.
The business letter was launched in 2020. But now, just three months into the year, 2023 is already on track to be a record-setting year of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks at the hands of state legislators throughout the country, with most of them targeting transgender people, particularly transgender youth. So far in 2023, HRC is tracking more than 460 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been introduced in statehouses across the country. More than 190 of those bills would specifically restrict the rights of transgender people, the highest number of bills targeting transgender people in a single year to date.
“The LGBTQ+ community is in a state of emergency, and silence is no longer an option. We’re grateful that more than 300 companies are standing up for their LGBTQ+ employees and customers against a backdrop of extremist attacks and disinformation. Together, these businesses are sending a message that being anti-LGBTQ+ is bad for business, and that they do not want their employees or customers to have to choose between living and working in a state where they can provide for their families or a state where they, or their LGBTQ+ children, can live without fear.
We encourage companies to continue working with leaders in their communities to stop anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, which does nothing but discourage a strong business climate.” – Kelley Robinson, Human Rights Campaign President
Business leaders consistently report that they have difficulty with recruitment, retention, and tourism in states that debate or pass legislation that excludes LGBTQ+ people from full participation in daily life. These policy fights negatively impact businesses operationally and financially, and needlessly put the safety and wellbeing of their team members and their families at risk.
So far in 2023, HRC is tracking more than 460 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been introduced in statehouses across the country. More than 190 of those bills would specifically restrict the rights of transgender people, the highest number of bills targeting transgender people in a single year to date.
This year, HRC is tracking:
- More than 110 bills that would prevent trans youth from being able to access age-appropriate, medically-necessary, best-practice health care; this year, nine have already become law in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Dakota, Utah, Iowa, Georgia, Kentucky and now West Virginia.
- More than 25 bathroom ban bills filed,
- More than 110 curriculum censorship bills and 40 anti-drag performance bills.
Continue on to read the Business Statement posted on HRC.org.
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