Apple backs proposed US Equality Act
Tim Cook (Getty)
Apple will throw its weight behind new anti-discrimination and LGBT rights legislation that is set to be introduced in Congress.
The Republicans currently control both Houses of Congress, and last year blocked the Employment Non-Discrimination Act – which included vital protections for LGBT workers – from coming to a vote.
However, amid building momentum on LGBT issues following the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, Democrats are hoping that the time could be right to push through new rights laws.
Deemed the Equality Act, new legislation is set to be introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives on LGBT rights this week – for the first time since the SCOTUS marriage decision.
Tech giant Apple has thrown its weight behind the new law – alongside The Dow Chemical Company, and Levi Strauss & Co.
A statement from Apple said: “At Apple we believe in equal treatment for everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. We fully support the expansion of legal protections as a matter of basic human dignity.”
Dow added: “Dow applauds the introduction of the Equality Act and continues to support a comprehensive federal framework that ensures fairness and opportunity for everyone. Full inclusion of our LGBT colleagues and citizens is quite simply the right thing to do – for business and for society.”
Levi Strauss & Co added: “Levi Strauss & Co. is proud to support the Equality Act. We have a long history of supporting LGBT equality, and the time has come in this country for full, federal equality for the LGBT community. Ensuring fairness in our workplaces and communities is both the right thing to do and simply good business.”
Chad Griffin, the President of the Human Rights Campaign, said: “These remarkable companies have proven once again their tremendous leadership on behalf of LGBT Americans.
“Time and again, these leaders of Corporate America have asked ‘what more can we do?,’ and each time they’ve stepped up to the plate and delivered.
“As the fight for full, federal equality enters a new chapter, we are enormously thankful that we have these champions standing shoulder to shoulder with us.”
