Indiana’s “Anti-LGBT” Law Creates A Roar Of Opposition From Various C.E.O.s

Hong Kong- 05 April 2015- According to Tim Cook, the C.E.O. of Apple Company, anti gay laws can prove “very dangerous”, as he publically announced his views against the “anti-LGBT” law of Indiana, according to 29 March 2015 CNN WIRE’s press release. Cook says such laws are contradictory to the founding principles of the United States of America and can force many companies to stumble on their functional aspects. During the course of last year sometimes, Cook confessed to the world that he himself was gay. And today, he expresses his dissent towards the anti-gay laws enacted by the government of Indiana and Arkansas. Cook terms them as discriminatory one. Furthermore, he even seeks the attention of religious figures for violating religious liberty. Cook wrote extensively on Washington Post about his opinion on the said matter. In his words: “On behalf of Apple, I’m standing up to oppose this new wave of legislation. These bills under consideration truly will hurt jobs, growth and the economic vibrancy of parts of the country where a 21st-century economy was once welcomed with open arms.” The Apple C.E.O. even approached legal authorities last week to clarify his opposing stance against the bill to be passed in question. Moreover, he has been tweeting at length about the same issue. His bold posts state that Apple will be “open for everyone”, there will be no discrimination between its customers, and all will be treated equally. The Washington Post, as mentioned above, provides more wholesome accounts of Tim Cook’s views and opinions wherein his comments also include a warning as he alerts the American Government to keep the “days of discrimination” lying buried under the shadowy labyrinth of the past. He says the matter in concern ought to stay “deep in our past”. The C.E.O. wrote: “I remember what it was like to grow up in the South in the 1960s and 1970s. Discrimination isn’t something that’s easy to oppose. It doesn’t always stare you in the face. It moves in the shadows. And sometimes it shrouds itself within the very laws meant to protect us.” Mike Pence, the Governor of Indiana, signed a bill into law which would allow any business owners to openly turn down any customers who are lesbian, transgender, and gay. In short, people will be encouraged to show their opposition against homosexuality as a religious blasphemy. It would be a “religious liberty” according to Pence. Moreover, the Governor justifies his action on a defensive note by blaming a “tremendous amount of misinformation and misunderstanding” which ultimately resulted in the concerned bill. He confirmed: “We are not going to change this law”. Many businesses, however, based at Indiana, including Yelp, Salesforce, Eli Lilly and the NCAA, expresses their dissent in unison against the bill. Implementation of the concerned bill would mean losing a section of potential clients in the market as currently there is no prohibition on gay customers. In fact, many projects like the proposition of campus expansion by Angie’s Indiana branch is put “on hold” as a result of the bill in question, which has been passed and approved by the legislature of Arkansas and now it awaits the approval of Indiana’s government. References: http://kdvr.com/2015/03/29/apple-ceo-indianas-anti-gay-law-dangerous-will-push-companies-out-of-state/