eBay Pressures Utah to Enact LGBT Non-discrimination Protections

In an example of how corporate America can pressure states that are in fact or are perceived as backwards and hostile to LGBT equality, eBay is advising the State of Utah that it may have to reconsider adding 3,000 jobs in that state if non-discrimination protections for LGBT citizens are not passed by the state legislature. In making the pitch, the message being delivered is that Utah has a serious PR problem which makes it dificult to recruit the best and the brightest employees. I wish some of the Fortune 500 companies that support non-discrimination would deliver that message here in Virginia to Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell and Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli not to mention the vitriolic anti-gay Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly. As I've noted before, I cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone who is LGBT move to Virginia because of the total lack of any legal protections for LGBT Virginians. Indeed, but for the Boyfriend's successful business and the fact that I currently employ one of my daughters at my law firm, I'd be pushing to leave Virginia as soon as possible. QSaltLake looks at the businesses that are pushing the elected officials to do the right thing. Here are highlights:

Sen. Ben McAdams hosted a panel discussion Thursday at the Utah State Capitol to discuss his proposed law, which seeks to add gender identity and sexual orientation to Utah’s existing list of prohibited discrimination characteristics. The bill has received a wellspring of support from Utah’s business community, including the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.

The panel was composed of McAdams, Tim Sullivan (CEO of Ancestry), Brandon Pace (general counsel for eBay), Jay Magure (VP of 1-800-Contacts) and Cliff Rosky (Professor of Law, University of Utah). The bottom line, according to the panelists, is that discrimination isn’t just wrong, it’s bad for business.

All of the panelists agreed that there is a perception problem outside of Utah, making it difficult for them to recruit and retain the best talent for their companies. That perception, said Magure, “is reality and it creates real harm.” eBay’s Pace indicated that his company is planning to add up to 3,000 workers this year and if they can’t bring workers to Utah because of the perception that Utah is intolerant of the LGBTQ community then they’ll be forced to fill those jobs in other places.

The panelists agreed, urging the state legislature to enact the proposed law in order to send a clear message to people and businesses around the country: that Utah doesn’t tolerate discrimination.

Currently there are 21 states and over 300 municipalities in the United States that include sexual orientation and gender identity as part of non-discrimination protections. More than half of America’s Fortune 500 has such policies in place, including major Utah employers such as Adobe, American Express, Zions Bank, and the companies involved in the panel: eBay, 1-800-Contacts, and Ancestry.