Texas Competes, represented by business leaders and of chambers of commerce, held a press conference at the Capitol in Austin today, Monday, April 19, to oppose a long list of discriminatory bills working their way through the Legislature.

The legislation includes bans on trans athletes from participating in sports to bans on providing medically necessary gender treatment to a number of license to discriminate bills, both specific and broad. Other bills would ban gender marker changes, criminalize HIV infection and invalidate local nondiscrimination ordinances.

State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, D-Dallas, kicked off the presentation. Gonzalez authored an omnibus LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill also working its way through committee.

Gary Sanchez, currently chair of the Texas LGBT Chambers of Commerce and formerly with VisitDallas, asked lawmakers to remember the small businesses of Texas. He said, “When you attack one of us, you attack all of us,” and asked legislators to keep Texas an inclusive and welcoming state to live and work.

Texas Competes CEO Jessica Shortall said, “Business thrives on certainty and stability,” but right now businesses are faced with the uncertainty that discriminatory policies cause.

This is the statement signed by companies with a large Texas presence and regional chambers of commerce:

The undersigned companies are proud Texas employers; supporters of Texas’ unique, diverse culture; and beneficiaries of and contributors to Texas’ resilient economy.

We have long strived to make our workplaces safe and welcoming for everyone we employ. But the fullness of our team members’ lives, and the lives of their families, stretch well beyond the workplace. They live in their communities, where they rent or own homes, shop, go out to eat, take transportation, seek and access healthcare, and participate in community and school activities. They deserve to feel safe, welcome, and treated with dignity in those settings, too.

That’s why we support the inclusion of LGBTQ people in nondiscrimination laws, including policy that would update Texas’ nondiscrimination laws to include LGBTQ people. Such policies simply recognize what we as Americans have long agreed: discrimination is real, and it can hold people back from their full potential to work hard, earn a living, support their families, and participate in and contribute to their communities.

We are concerned to see a resurgence of efforts to exclude transgender youth from full participation in their communities, to criminalize or ban best-practice medical care that is proven to save lives, or to exclude LGBTQ people in a variety of other settings, including accessing healthcare, filling a prescription, or seeking legal representation.

Such legislation would send a message that is at odds with the Texas we know, and with our own efforts to attract and retain the best talent and to compete for business. We will continue to oppose any unnecessary, divisive measures that would damage Texas’ reputation and make our customers, our visitors, and our employees and their families feel unwelcome or unsafe.

With so many layers of urgent issues facing the state, from pandemic recovery to grid stability to public education, infrastructure, and broadband, we urge policymakers to continue to focus their good work on fostering a state that works for everyone and welcomes everyone.

Amazon
American Airlines
Apple
Austin Chamber of Commerce
Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Austin Tech Alliance
Bain and Company
BASF
BBVA USA
bp America
Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce
Dell Technologies
Destination El Paso
Dow
Facebook
Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce
G6 Hospitality LLC
Gearbox Entertainment
Greater Houston LGBT Chamber
GSD&M
HP
Hunt Companies
IBM Corporation
Levi Strauss & Co
Lime
Marriott International
McKinney Chamber of Commerce
Microsoft
North Texas Commission
North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce
PayPal
Salesforce
San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Silicon Labs
Sun Life
Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, including member companies Danone North America; Mars, Incorporated; Nestlé USA; and Unilever United States
TechNet
Texas LGBTQ Chambers of Commerce
Unilever
United Airlines
United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce