Major Companies Denounce Georgia’s Religious Refusal Legislation

Once again, business leaders have joined together to show their dismay for proposed so-called “Religious Freedom” legislation that passed through the Georgia Senate this month.

Marc Benioff, CEO of San Francisco-based Salesforce, announced that the company would decrease its investments in Georgia following the passing of an anti-LGBT discrimination bill that could allow for individuals and businesses to use religion as an excuse for bigotry.

“We’re looking squarely at what’s going on in Georgia with House Bill 757, which means that we have to reduce our investments in the state of Georgia based on what we’re seeing with the state government there…And I hope that they see the light the way that the state of Indiana did,” Benioff said in a conference call with analysts.

“Salesforce is leading by example and reminding the legislature what it seems to have forgotten, that all Americans, including LGBT people, should be able to live free from fear of discrimination,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs. “Today another Georgia business is sounding the alarm about a reckless and irresponsible bill that would create broad loopholes and put LGBT Georgians in the path of discrimination. Business and religious leaders alike have called out this disingenuous bill as an attempt to license discrimination. This shameful bill should be stopped in its tracks and we hope even more businesses will step up and speak out.”

Benioff and Salesforce join several Georgia-based high-profile businesses in opposition of the bill: AT&T, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., The Home Depot Inc., SunTrust Banks Inc., and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS). According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Salesforce employs several hundreds of people in Atlanta and Buckhead, Georgia, and decreasing its presence could have damaging affects on the state.

Let’s keep Georgia on the right side of history. t.co/0cCz1KjwJo

— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) February 26, 2016

Last week, the Georgia Senate passed HB 757, a combination of two bills – the Pastor Protection Act and the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), formerly known as SB 284. The injustice the harmful legislation would allow is twofold: not only would it permit clergy members to deny performing same-sex marriage ceremonies, it would also allow nonprofits with “sincerely held religious beliefs” to deny services to same-sex weddings.

In March of 2015, Salesforce reduced investment in Indiana because of outrage from employees and customers over its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) fight. The state lost as much as $60 million in convention revenue alone because of the disastrous bill, according to a survey from Visit Indy.

Following the introduction of over 100 anti-LGBT bills throughout the U.S. in 2015, Salesforce, along with more than 100 technology industry leaders, joined an unprecedented statement to legislators calling for nationwide LGBT non-discrimination protections. A longtime ally of HRC, Salesforce also received a 95 on the 2016 Corporate Equality Index.

To learn more about the discriminatory religious refusal legislation launching across the country, visit www.hrc.org/RFRA.

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Rabbi Speaks Out Against Religious Refusal Bill in West Virginia

In an op-ed, a rabbi in West Virginia spoke out against HB 4012, a dangerous bill that would allow any person to claim their religious beliefs excuse them from following any state or local law. 

“I am absolutely convinced that people who support this bill do so with the best of intentions: to protect religious individuals who hold deeply held beliefs,” Rabbi Victor Urecki wrote in the Charleston Gazette-Mail. “I get that. I live with deeply held beliefs that are not always accepted by the majority culture. But I can attest as an observant Jew that in West Virginia, that is not an issue. This is a bill looking to find a solution where there is no problem…The First Amendment protects us all well and the kindness of the people of our state has shown me for decades that religious expression is valued and respected. This bill is unnecessary.”

Earlier this month, HRC and Fairness West Virginia, the statewide LGBT advocacy organization, denounced the bill. Not only could the bill allow businesses to refuse service to LGBT people, the broadly-written bill would go even further, putting all minority communities at risk for discrimination.

“I am deeply concerned with what passing this bill will say about West Virginia and my Christian brothers and sisters, who have welcomed me and shown me what Christians in this state are all about,” the rabbi concluded. “This bill will send the absolute worst message: that Christians are intolerant, want to discriminate, and hate. That is not my experience at all but I am afraid that will be the message if this bill passes.”

The attacks on fairness and equality in West Virginia are part of an onslaught of anti-LGBT bills being pushed in 2016 by anti-equality activists around the country. HB 4012 is part of nearly 200 anti-LGBT bills across 32 states that have been introduced this year.

For more information, visit: www.hrc.org/2016legislature. 

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