In the wake of North Carolina passing its ‘bathroom law,’ states, cities, companies, and entertainers across the nation canceled shows, business deals, and prevented state travel in an effort to protest what they considered was an anti-LGBT, discriminatory measure.
Now, San Francisco is looking to take their objections one step further. Legislation introduced Tuesday would prevent the city from entering into contracts with companies based in states they consider bar civil rights protections for LGBT people.
The city’s mayor, Ed Lee, had previously banned publicly-funded city travel to North Carolina and Mississippi, except in emergency situations, for these reasons. This legislation, proposed by Supervisor Scott Wiener, would increase pressure on such states to rescind those laws.
One company, Bank of America, would bear the biggest impact should the legislation pass, as expected. The North Carolina bank has an $8 million contract with San Francisco to provide depository and payroll services, among other things. The contract expires on Aug. 31, 2018.
In a statement, Bank of America said, “We understand the concerns expressed by the City and County of San Francisco, and Bank of America has been very clear in calling for the repeal of North Carolina’s (law) based on concerns about the impact of the legislation on our employees and our customers.” Bank of America was founded and formerly headquartered in San Francisco.
Other prominent companies based in North Carolina are Hanes and Lowe’s Home Improvement, although the city does not appear to have contracts with either company.
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“By banning the use of taxpayer dollars in these states, we can set an example for other jurisdictions and build momentum to put an end to this nonsense. Our LGBT community does not deserve to be attacked like this,” Wiener said in a statement.
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