These 25 Businesses Are Standing Up to Texas Discrimination

While some Texas lawmakers have sided with the Texas Pastor Council’s very questionable “daughters over dollars” argument to justify proposed legislation that would force trans people to use facilities that don't match their gender identity, dozens of companies operating in the Lone Star State warn of severe economic consequences in a state once known for its pro-business environment. The following companies have publicly decried the discriminatory Senate Bill 6 because it will undermine diversity in the workplace and compromise recruiting efforts, with many businesses saying they will create new jobs elsewhere. 

The tech giant maintains a major campus in Austin but has steadfastly made its opposition to the legislation known, going so far as to say passage would make the company reconsider expansion within the state of Texas if it becomes law. Executives in July issued an internal memo calling bathroom bills “discriminatory” and also took out full-page ads in major Texas newspapers outlining opposition, according to The Texas Tribune. A team of 20 IBM executives also traveled to the state capitol to lobby lawmakers on the bill. The company employs an estimated 100,000 people in Texas.

Facebook just this summer opened a $1 billion data center in the Lone Star State, one of the biggest projects in Texas right now, according to The Dallas Morning News. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) also signed on to a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott along with other tech CEOs expressing grave concerns that bathroom legislation would “tarnish Texas’ reputation as open and friendly to businesses and families.”

The retail giant opened its first Texas-based fulfillment centers in 2013 and in March announced plans for a 10th such facility in the Houston area. That location alone is expected to create 10,000 full-time jobs, according to The Dallas Morning News. But Jeff Wilke, CEO of Amazon World Consumer (pictured), was the first tech exec listed in a letter urging Texas to end pursuit of “discriminatory legislation.”

The Cupertino, Calif.-based titan made a big move last year into Austin, opening a 1.1-million-square-foot campus in north Austin in addition to a second 216,000-sqaure-foot campus elsewhere in the city. In total, Apple employed 6,000 in the Austin area as of last fall, according to Fortune. But CEO Tim Cook, an out gay man (pictured), signed on to a letter from tech leaders urging that bathroom legislation be dropped, and just in July made clear on Twitter that he was an ally to trans individuals by announcing opposition to Trump’s ban on trans troops. Cook also reportedly spoke with the governor of Texas at length on the bathroom issue.

Microsoft  operates two data centers in the San Antonio area and in 2015 began work on a third, this one a $1 billion facility on 158 acres. But Microsoft president Brad Smith (pictured) joined tech leaders in opposition to the legislation being considered in Texas, and he had also opposed North Carolina's House Bill 2. “We need to continue efforts to tackle discrimination & promote diversity & inclusion, not move backwards,” he tweeted in March 2016 in the midst of the North Carolina debate. And the company last year filed an amicus brief supporting the fight against that bathroom bill in court.

The tech giant since 2007 has employed hundreds of people in the Austin area and in 2015 announced plans to expand there, according to the Austin Americab-Statesman. CEO Sundar Pichai (pictured), though, signed on to a letter opposing Texas’s bathroom bill.

The San Francisco-based cloud computing company, which actually keeps a chief equality officer in its corporate structure, also was represented in the letter from tech CEOs fighting SB 6. The state of Texas in fact turns to this company for much of its technology needs, with the Texas Department of Information Resources using Salesforce to develop apps for more than 125 state agencies and thousands of local governments and schools.

Gearbox Software, the Texas-based company behind such video game franchises as Borderlands and Brothers in Arms, has vocally opposed the bathroom bill proposed in its home state. “"What's real for us — if you're looking at recruiting — the talent pool we get are highly educated millennials and they're over 90 percent opposed to this kind of discrimination," David Najjab, Gearbox director of institutional partnerships (pictured), told U.S. News & World Report.

A Fortune 500 materials company based in Irving, Texas, Celanese sells creativity and innovation in its recruiting material. CEO Mark Rohr (pictured) has attacked SB 6 both on its substance and the questionable approach lawmakers have taken in introducing the legislation. “Celanese’s opposition to SB 6 reflects the indisputable fact that it will undermine Texas’ ability to create the kind of exemplary, diverse and accomplished work force that is essential to Texas’ economic success,” he said through Keep Texas Open for Business. “The fact that it does so without any data showing that it addresses a legitimate law enforcement issue compounds its many flaws.”

The Austin-based advertising agency launched the social media campaign #IPeeWithLGBT campaign (pictured), working hand in hand with the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and Legacy Community, to combat passage of SB 6. Filmmaker and Austin local Richard Linklater helped created video for the campaign, and company CEO Duff Stewart spoke forcefully on the issue to Advertising Age. “We need to speak up when we can,” he said, adding that the bill “will hurt Texas and keep Texas from landing businesses, and it’s hateful.”

The multinational technology conglomerate that provides networking hardware around the world has offices in Houston, San Antonia, Austin, Irving. and Richardson. CEO Chuck Robbins is among tech CEOs opposing passage of a bathroom bill in Texas. 

The Austin-headquartered semiconductor company has taken a stance against the discriminatory legislation. CEO Tyson Tuttle (pictured) wrote an op-ed in The Texas Tribune condemning SB 6. “Simply put, I believe bathroom legislation is bad for our employees and bad for business. It is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist,” he wrote. “Rather than sending a message that Texas has a diverse and inclusive business environment, this type of legislation demonstrates that discrimination is welcome in our state. Texas should not follow the example of North Carolina, which has lost billions of dollars, thousands of jobs and devolved into political dysfunction as lawmakers pushed similar legislation.”

The Dallas-based computer company has been among the bathroom bill’s most prominent critics. Dell remains the largest private employer in Austin and a major acquisition deal with NTT Data of North America last year only increased the business’s corporate footprint in the state. CEO Michael Dell (pictured) for years has supported Texas Competes, a coalition of businesses supporting LGBT rights in the state.

While Hewlett-Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman (pictured) made a prominent run for office in California, the $34.9-billion company maintains its headquarters in Plano, Texas, where the company boasts 3.5 million square feet of office and data center space. Whitman was among tech CEOs to sign on to a letter this year opposing passage of SB 6.

The name of Doug Parker (pictured), CEO of American Airlines, topped a list of prominent Dallas-based business leaders expressing deep concerns about SB 6 in a letter to lawmakers penned in July. “We strongly support diversity and inclusion,” the letter reads. “This legislation threatens our ability to attract and retain the best talent in Texas, as well as the greatest sporting and cultural attractions in the world.”

The education-focused technology firm, based in Austin, hasn’t taken kindly to attacks on trans youth even by so-called moderates in the legislature, and CEO James Reinhardt (pictured) may be providing the tutorial on strong critiques. “I think that SB 6 sets Texas back 50-plus years in the eyes of the world, and I am constantly reminded by my business partners in the U.S. and Asia that they are all cognizant of this regressive push,” he said. “It will be the end of Texas leadership as a great place to do business."

As the bathroom debate hits the cinema company’s home state, leaders have responded by releasing plans for unisex bathrooms. “I have taken a side,” said founder Tim League. “My side is that bigotry and the associated violence and/or shaming stemming from your choice of stall is unacceptable. But changing that mindset is likely going to take a long time. My hope is that by changing the design of restrooms we can in the meantime avoid some potential violence.”

The tech company last year abruptly canceled plans to open a 400-employee operations center in North Carolina after a bathroom bill became law there, and did not revive the project after a partial repeal of that law, notes The Charlotte Observer. Now the company has joined Keep Texas Open for Business, a group opposed to the legislation proposed in Texas.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly (pictured) two years ago gave a keynote address at the University of Texas’s National Undergraduate Business Symposium where he stressed the significance of diversity. “From the beginning, Southwest embraced diversity because we really made flying available to people from all walks of life,” he said. Now Kelly is among 14 executives of Dallas-based companies that signed on to a letter opposing passage of Texas’s proposed bathroom restrictions.

The paper products company, which boasted $18.6 billion in 2015 sales, produces several restroom-related brands, including Cottonelle and Kleenex. But the Dallas-based company says the government need not dictate which bathroom transgender people use. CEO Thomas Falk (pictured) joined a number of Texas CEOs voicing opposition to SB6.

One of numerous energy companies based in Texas, Atmos Energy prides itself on diversity and even hosted a human resources event in July on transgender opportunities in the workplace, held at the company’s Midland offices. “Our vision is to create a culture that respects and appreciates diversity,” CEO Kim Cocklin writes on the company website. Cocklin signed a letter of opposition to SB 6 along with other Taxes-based business leaders.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson (pictured) has teased the possibility of the telecommunications company investing $22 billion in the United States depending on coming tax reforms, but where will that money be spent? The Texas-based company has long prided itself on being a positive work environment for LGBT employees, and while some Texas lawmakers would like to see Stephenson become more involved in the bathroom bill debate, he was among Texas CEOs to sign a curt letter opposing the legislation.

The Dallas company best known for its fancy calculators instituted a corporate diversity council in 1989, years before most of corporate America, and touts an inclusive environment, specifically mentioning creating a safe environment for trans individuals. “TI promotes a safe, supportive work environment through programs such as Safe Space, which provides a non-threatening environment specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees,” reads diversity material from the company. CEO Richard Templeton (pictured) joined with other Texas business leaders in lobbying against the legislation.

The railroad company, headquartered in Fort Worth, has always promoted diversity in its hiring practices. Matt Stone, CEO of the company, joined other CEOs in condemning the anti-trans legislation.

The company may be best known for its famous founder, former Dallas Cowboys player and Dancing With the Stars champion Emmitt Smith, who added his voice in opposition to Texas’s proposed bathroom restrictions. “Proud to stand with several DFW [Dallas-Fort Worth] CEOs and support diversity and inclusion for all!,” he tweeted after signing a letter of opposition with other executives.