Google, Apple, Meta and others call on Texas to drop anti-trans legislation

More than 60 companies are asking Texas governor Greg Abbott to abandon recent legislation that defines gender-affirming medical treatments for trans children as child abuse.

In a full-page advertisement in the Friday edition of the Dallas Morning News, the companies called on leaders in Texas to abandon efforts to write discrimination into law.

The policy creates fear for employees and their families, especially those with trans 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.

Major tech businesses like Microsoft and IBM are among the companies that signed the letter. Around the same time that the ad was published, Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on the anti-gay legislation currently being passed in the US.

As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am deeply concerned about laws being enacted across the country, particularly those focused on our vulnerable youth. I stand with them and the families, loved ones, and allies who support them.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 11, 2022

The Texas legislation in question is a directive issued by Abbott on February 22nd that calls for state agencies to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reports of minor undergoing gender transitioning procedures.

The order, which many experts say is illegal, is part of a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation being pushed by Conservative lawmakers. Legislators in Florida recently passed a law that banned discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools.