Microsoft, EA, among companies urging Texas to drop anti-trans directive
Brendan Sinclair
Managing Editor
Friday 11th March 2022
Dozens of companies have joined with the Human Rights Campaign in calling for Texas governor Greg Abbott and various other politicians across the US to abandon their efforts to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.
While anti-trans legislation has been on the upswing across the US for several years, the issue took on greater prominence last month when Governor Abbott issued a directive to the state's attorney general to investigate any reported instances of minors within Texas receiving gender-affirming health care as child abuse.
Additionally, anyone who becomes aware of children receiving such health care and do not report it to authorities as child abuse are to face criminal penalties.
More than 60 companies doing business in Texas -- including Google, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Apple, and Gearbox -- signed onto an open letter from HRC that was published in the Dallas Morning News.
"The recent attempt to criminalize 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," the letter reads.
"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."
The HRC acknowledged Abbot's directive is hardly alone in looking to advance discrimination of LGBTQ+ rights. The letter follows one last week signed by 176 companies decrying what it called "the most extreme slate of anti-transgender legislation in history."
Idaho's House of Representatives yesterday
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