Businesses, activists fight states’ anti-gay regulations

Global Business

Several southern U.S. states face economic backlash after recent passage of pro-religious freedom and anti-gay laws.

CCTV’s Roee Ruttenberg reports.

In March, Georgia became the first U.S. state to pass a so-called “religious freedom bill” allowing businesses or organizations which cite a conflict of faith to withhold services from gays and lesbians.

But just a few weeks later, surprising even his own supporters, Georgia’s conservative governor vetoed the bill.

In nearby North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory signed the state’s new “bathroom bill” as it’s been dubbed. HB2 – passed shortly after Georgia’s – legally forces transgendered individuals to use public toilets that match their quote “biology at birth.”

Activists have denounced the law and have called for a boycott of the state. Several U.S. city and state governments have banned their employees from using public funds to travel to North Carolina.

The federal government has threatened to withholds billions in funding, in what some said is election-year tactics.

The effect may be largely economic: popular singers have cancelled their performances in the state and sporting associations have threatened to take their games elsewhere.


Melissa Morris on anti-gay legislation in the US

To discuss anti-gay legislation and businesses protesting these laws, Rachelle Akuffo spoke with Melissa Morris, president of the Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce.