The ongoing hew and cry over North Carolina’s new law deciding which bathrooms transgender people can use has prompted Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to urge businesses in the Tar Heel state to move north.
According to CNNMoney, the new law requires transgendered individuals to use the bathroom that coordinates with their anatomical gender at birth, rather than the gender they identify with.
In a letter sent to North Carolina businesses, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy touted Connecticut’s reputation for inclusiveness. He said, “In our state, your employees and customers would not face such institutional discrimination. We would welcome you and your employees … no matter their sexual orientation.”
Malloy today announced that he has signed an executive order banning state-funded travel to North Carolina in response to its recently adopted HB2 legislation, which discriminates against members of the LGBT community.
Earlier this week, a massive furniture expo that brings billions of dollars to North Carolina’s economy each year said that the state’s new bathroom law is threatening its business. It said hundreds, if not thousands, of customers are now refusing to attend the expo that will be held in April.
Connecticut is home to 95,091 LGBT people, representing 3.4 percent of the state’s adult population, according to Colorado-based LGBT advocacy group Movement Advancement Project. “Connecticut has got a great reputation when it comes to inclusion of the LGBT community,” said Sam McClure, vice president of affiliate relations for the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, in an article on Connecticut’s inclusive business climate.
The governor moved beyond the state’s inclusiveness and provided North Carolina business owners with facts that demonstrate Connecticut’s favorable business climate. He cited the state’s bioscience workforce, which numbers 50,000 employees at 800 companies statewide.
A well-educated workforce was another angle the governor took to prod companies to relocate. He said Connecticut has the fifth highest percentage of science and engineering doctorates in the nation.
A spokesperson for the governor was not able to quantify how many letters were sent and would not identify the businesses that would be receiving them.
