Microsoft, EA, Gearbox protest Texas' anti-LGBTQ+ rights

Microsoft, EA and Gearbox have signed a statement urging Texas Governor Greg Abbott to "abandon" efforts that demonise parents who want their children to get gender-affirming care.

Texas' governor has directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to begin investigating instances of parents providing gender-affirming treatment to their children as acts of child abuse.

The latest letter, organised by Human Rights Campaign and signed by IBM, Google, Yahoo, and Meta, calls on officials to "to abandon discriminatory efforts against trans youth and all LGBTQ+ people" not just in Texas, but across the United States.

The full letter reads:

Our companies do business, create jobs, and serve customers in Texas. We are committed to building inclusive environments where our employees can thrive inside and outside of the workplace. For years we have stood to ensure LGBTQ+ people – our employees, customers, and their families – are safe and welcomed in the communities where we do business.

The recent attempt to criminalise a parent for helping their transgender child access medically necessary, age-appropriate healthcare in the state of Texas goes against the values of our companies. This policy creates fear for employees and their families, especially those with transgender children, who might now be faced with choosing to provide the best possible medical care for their children but risk having those children removed by child protective services for doing so. It is only one of several efforts discriminating against transgender youth that are advancing across the country.

We call on our public leaders – in Texas and across the country – to abandon efforts to write discrimination into law and policy. It’s not just wrong, it has an impact on our employees, our customers, their families, and our work.

What do you make of Texas' anti-LGBTQ+ efforts? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[Nat]

It's good to see a lot of these big companies pushing against these hateful laws.

Hopefully these laws aren't passed.

 

[Jedi]

Good to see companies taking a stance against discrimination.