At a breakfast meeting discussing business issues where he was the keynote speaker, Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers fielded a question on North Carolina's toxic anti-gay Amendment 1. After first stressing that he was speaking as an individual, and not on behalf of Duke Energy, Rogers then proceeded to trash Amendment 1 and predicted that if the measure passes, history will not look kindly on those who backed it. Indeed, he said the measure and its supporters will be viewed in the same category as those who supported the horrible Jim Crow laws of yesteryear. That analysis is accurate for a number of reasons not the least of which is that the folks who back Amendment 1 are the same people (or their descendants) who wanted to maintain racial segregation forever. With racial bigotry being less socially acceptable, these haters and enemies of equality under the civil laws have targeted gays as their victims. Here are highlights from a piece in the Charlotte Observer:
It's noteworthy that Rogers believes that Amendment 1 will make North Carolina less competitive in the business realm. It's a case I have made many times before: most progressive and innovative businesses do not want to locate in areas that are backward and socially discriminatory.
Rogers hesitated, but then couldn't stop himself from telling the crowd of 300 or so how he felt. If North Carolinians put the gay marriage ban into the state constitution, Rogers said, "You're sending a message to the world about what kind of community this is; that we're not inclusive."
"If this amendment passes, we're going to look back 20 years from now, or 10 years from now, and we're going to think about that amendment the same way we think about the Jim Crow laws" that discriminated against African-Americans. North Carolina is competing with the world for business, he said, and "we have to be inclusive and open."
It's heartening that a business leader of Rogers' stature sees the discriminatory intent of the amendment so clearly and is willing to say so in public. Now, will others in the business community join him?
"I'm old-fashioned: I believe we're all the children of God and we shouldn't have special rules for some and not for others. We have to recognize differences in people and celebrate those differences. That's just something I believe.
"And I'll go a step further - and this is going to be somewhat controversial when I say this. If this amendment passes, we're going to look back 20 years from now, or 10 years from now, and we're going to think about that amendment the same way we think about the Jim Crow laws that were passed in this state many, many years ago. "This is the 21st century. We're competing with people around the world. We've got to be inclusive and open."
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