Dakota Beacon

Religious liberty bills in Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina drew attention – and ire -- from several big corporations in recent weeks. These corporations chose to criticize these states’ religious liberty legislation. In many instances these corporations threaten to boycott business in those states.

Mississippi adopted a bill, HB 1523, to protect “sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions,” that allow businesses to decline participation in same-sex marriages. The measure also permits businesses to determine who gets access to bathrooms and locker rooms. The bill does not curtail the constitutional rights of any citizen.

North Carolina adopted the “bathroom bill,” HB 2, which requires people to use public restrooms corresponding to their biological gender. Governor McCrory issued an executive order to clarify the measure. “I am taking action to affirm and improve the state’s commitment to privacy and equality.”

The Georgia legislature passed, and the governor vetoed under pressure, HB 757 designed to ensure the protection of religious liberty. The bill also contained a provision that allowed faith-based organizations the liberty to not employ those who hold contrary beliefs.

Herein lay the hypocrisy. Many of the most vocal of the corporations who claim to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people also do business in countries with horrific human rights records. In many of these countries homosexuality carries a death sentence. The Daily Signal, the news agency of The Heritage Foundation, compiled a list of these companies.

            MICROSOFT – President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith tweeted his opposition to Georgia’s HB 757. On the other hand, Human Rights Watch confirms that Microsoft complies with censorship policies of China and other communist countries.

            WALT DISNEY – Disney proposed to boycott Georgia after the passage of HB 757. A spokesperson stated, “Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into law.” Disney continues expansion into Red China with plans for a multi-billion dollar theme park in Shanghai. Human Rights Watch observes that the communist country has “no law protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”

            GENERAL ELECTRIC – Senior vice president Alex Dimitrief signed a open letter to Mississippi lawmakers urging repeal of the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act. The letter claimed the law’s use of “religion to discriminate against LGBT Mississippians” does not reflect the “values of our companies.” Yet, GE does business in Saudi Arabia where homosexual behavior is criminalized.

            PAYPAL – CEO Dan Schulman stated that plans for a new global operations center in Charlotte, NC would be scrapped. He said HB 2 “perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture.” Nevertheless, PayPal services Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria and other countries where homosexuality is a capital offense punishable by death.

            APPLE INC. – Apple, Inc. opposed both the Mississippi and North Carolina religious liberty bills declaring they “empower discrimination.” The company stated, “Our future as Americans should be focused on inclusion and prosperity, and not discrimination and division.” Apple Computer Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is located in the Xinjiang region of Red China. According to Human Rights Watch the region justifies “pervasive ethnic discrimination, severe religious repression, and increasing cultural suppression” under the rubric of the “fight against separatism, religious extremism, and terrorism.”

            SONY – Sony referred to the Georgia bill as “anathema to our studio and to all those who value diversity and inclusion.” Breitbart New reported that Sony signed a pledge to boycott Georgia. Sony maintains an office in Kazakhstan. Amnesty International reports that “torture and other ill-treatment [remain] largely unchallenged.” Human Rights Watch confirms Amnesty International’s claims.

Other hypocritical companies on the list include AMC Networks, Inc.; the Weinstein Co.; Live Nation; National Basketball Association; Coca-Cola; Salesforce; Unilever; Time Warner; Intel; and Netflix. When contacted by The Daily Signal none of the companies responded.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).