Governor of Texas: ‘We don’t care’ about boycott threats over anti-LGBT law
The Governor of Texas says he “doesn’t care” about likely boycotts that will cost the state thousands of jobs if he goes ahead and signs and anti-LGBT law.
A number of anti-LGBT bills are currently before the Texas legislature which would permit discrimination against LGBT people, including so-called ‘religious freedom’ bills and anti-transgender ‘bathroom’ bills.
After North Carolina faced a crippling economic boycott over a similar law, leaders from the entertainment industry, business world and sport have all this month warned Governor of Texas Greg Abbot that his state will also be shunned if he signs anti-LGBT bill SB 6.
But speaking to right-wing talk show host Glenn Beck, Governor Abbott – who led the state’s battle against LGBT rights and same-sex marriage as Attorney General before becoming Governor in 2015 – said he “doesn’t care” about the threats.
Addressing the NFL’s warning that Texas could be stripped of the right to host future football fixtures over anti-LGBT laws, Abbott said he “doesn’t care”.
He said: “The NFL is walking on thin ice right here… the NFL needs to concentrate on playing football and get the heck out of politics.
“For some low-level NFL adviser to come out and say that they are going to micromanage and try to dictate to the state of Texas what types of policies we’re going to pass in our state, that’s unacceptable.
“We don’t care what the NFL thinks and certainly what their political policies are because they are not a political arm of the state of Texas or the United States of America.
“They need to learn their place in the United States, which is to govern football, not politics.”
He also claimed that most Texans are already boycotting the “snowflake” NFL because of player protests against racism and police brutality.
Abbott said: “I cannot name or even count the number of Texans who told me that they were not watching the NFL.
“They were protesting the NFL this year because of the gross political statement allowed to be made by the NFL by allowing these players, who are not oppressed, who are now almost like snowflake little politicians themselves unable to take the United States National Anthem being played.”
It is unclear how telling people to shut up will successfully woo business to Texas in future.
