![]() ![]() In Florida, for instance, Apple said it worked with a national coalition organized by the HRC to speak out and lobby against the legislation.ĭemocratic Florida state Sen. Apple is one of the most active participants in the group’s corporate membership calls and regularly encourages its peers to get involved in the HRC’s state-level fights. Apple said it works as part of a national coalition that is active in all 50 states, and its government affairs teams work closely with the HRC discussing strategy and direct lobbying. Supporters of the new law say it would ensure that the state’s youngest students learn about sexual orientation and gender identity from their parents and not at school, but opponents say it will create a hostile environment for gay and transgender children or children from LGBTQ families.Īpple’s advocacy mainly entails partnering closely with the Human Rights Campaign. The pro-LGBTQ group Equality Florida said in an email that its staff hadn’t noticed any of Apple’s lobbying against the new state law that restricts teachers from talking about gender and sexuality in the classroom, which critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. to crush the legislation.Īpple spokesperson Peter Ajemian confirmed in a statement that the company “regularly lobbies against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the states, just as we did in Florida.”Īpple recently became the only business that has reported lobbying against legislation in Iowa that would ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ K-12 or collegiate sports.Īpple doesn’t work much with state advocacy groups, however. The company has tried to leverage its greatest assets - the popularity of its products and the size of its employee base in the U.S. ![]() The company doesn’t have a political action committee or make campaign donations, maintains a smaller federal lobbying presence than its big tech peers and often does not engage with the news media on policy issues.īut behind the scenes, it is one of the most active corporate advocates for LGBTQ rights, according to four organizers on the ground in states where legislation is moving. The advocacy is notable considering that Apple has often shied away from the political spotlight. ![]() I’m reaching out because we are hoping you will too.”įred Sainz, Apple’s senior director of corporate communications, in an email asking other Fortune 500 companies to speak out against a Texas order aimed at families of trans kids. “Apple has joined the effort and will lend its name and logo. “That becomes a concerning issue when we have a major industry who attempts to come in and force public policy based on an agenda they may have in a boardroom out of state.” “Apple framed the law as part of a ‘social agenda’ rather than fairness for women’s sports,” Republican Iowa state Sen. Some Republicans in Iowa have argued that Apple should not continue to receive state subsidies as it opposes legislation banning trans girls from participating in high school sports that match their gender identity. The advocacy poses political risks for Apple as Republicans begin to criticize the company’s opposition to the bills. And the tech industry is known for having a high concentration of trans employees, meaning Apple is responding to the needs of its workforce. Studies have shown that companies struggle to recruit and retain employees - particularly the younger, college-educated workers that Apple relies on - in states that consider or pass legislation targeting LGBTQ people. The fight is not merely a values-driven issue for businesses like Apple. “I’m reaching out because we are hoping you will too.” Ultimately, 60 other organizations signed on to the letter, which was published in The Dallas Morning News on March 11. “Apple has joined the effort and will lend its name and logo,” Sainz said in the email, obtained by POLITICO. “I’m reaching out from Apple because we’re hoping you’ll join us and lend your company’s name to a critical issue,” wrote Sainz, who was formerly the vice president of communications and marketing at the HRC, in an email to his corporate affairs counterparts on March 5. It is significant in terms of staff time and resources.”Īpple’s senior director of corporate communications, Fred Sainz, this month pressed leaders of fellow Fortune 500 companies to denounce an order by the Texas governor that called for child abuse investigations of parents who provide transgender children with gender-affirming care despite opposition from doctors. “It’s states where their customers are, which is all across the country. “It’s not just states where they have a headquarters,” said Jay Brown, the senior vice president of programs, research and training at the LGBTQ rights organization Human Rights Campaign. ![]()
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