APPLE, OTHERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST TRUMP’S MOVE ON TRANSGENDER RIGHTS

Apple and others in the tech industry are taking a stand against Donald Trump’s move to roll back federal protections for transgender students over their bathroom use.

“Apple believes everyone deserves a chance

to thrive in an environment free from stigma and discrimination,” the company said in a statement to news site Axios. “We support efforts toward greater acceptance, not less, and we strongly believe that transgender students should be treated as equals. We disagree with any effort to limit or rescind their rights and protections.”

Barack Obama’s administration issued guidelines last year that allowed transgender students to use school bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identities. However, the guidelines had been on hold because of lawsuits. Wednesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said, “This is an issue best solved at the state and local level.”

Other tech executives who expressed opposition to the new administration’s move include Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who Thursday posted on Facebook a link to an article about the news, with the comment “sorrow for our transgender children.” Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on Wednesday tweeted: “Let’s agree now to always love all our children, and that our schools will be safe places for all. #EqualityForAll.”

Apple, Salesforce and Netflix and/or their CEOs have voiced their concerns over anti-LGBT laws before.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is gay, tweeted his disappointment over a bill that then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed in 2015 that would have allowed businesses to discriminate against gay people under the guise of religious freedom. Benioff canceled Salesforce events in that state.

Pence is now vice president of the United States.