Eleven big firms say Tennessee bills discriminate against LGBTQ

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) | Eleven large companies are urging Tennessee’s Republican legislative leaders to oppose bills they say discriminate against LGBTQ people.

The Human Rights Campaign announced April 23 the letter from Hilton; IKEA North America Services; InterContinental Hotels Group; Lyft; Marriott International; MassMutual; Nike; Replacements Ltd.; Salesforce; Unilever; and Warby Parker. They wrote that bills targeting LGBTQ people are bad for employees and their families, customers and business.

One bill would let adoption agencies refuse, based on written religious beliefs, to place children with parents.

Another would bar “discriminatory action” by cities and state agencies against businesses with internal policies complying with state law. It’s delayed until 2020.

Another says Tennessee’s public indecency law applies to single-sex, multi-person bathrooms and changing rooms.

Another would authorize Tennessee’s attorney general to defend a public school’s transgender bathroom and locker room policy.

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