But if a business is joined by its peers, the risk of being an isolated target drops significantly. Because every business has its own legislative agenda, speaking up on a divisive issue, often in opposition to elected leadership, can create risk of political retaliation. These coalitions serve more than a convening role.įirst, they reduce political risk by building critical mass. Three business coalitions were active in this effort: Texas Competes (a coalition that has been making the economic case for nondiscrimination since 2015), Keep Texas Open for Business (a coalition within the state chamber of commerce), and Texas Welcomes All (a coalition of tourism stakeholders). The legislation failed, but the state still saw $66 million in cancelled conventions over the course of the debate. That same year, Texas lawmakers pursued a similar “bathroom bill” and economists predicted massive losses: in tourism alone, $3.3 billion in annual gross product and 35,600 full-time jobs - just initially. In the year that HB2 remained a law, the state lost $630 million in canceled sports events, job opportunities, performances, and conventions. Within a week of passage, two equality groups had organized more than 140 major CEOs and business leaders into an open letter to the governor. HB2 was filed, passed, and signed into law in a single day, and businesses immediately began to take individual actions. The pattern continued in 2016, when North Carolina lawmakers passed the HB2 “bathroom bill” to restrict where transgender people could use the restroom in public and in schools. This development was met with an immediate loss of 12 business conventions worth $60 million and the launch of the Indiana Competes business coalition advocating for LGBTQ nondiscrimination. Mike Pence signed a “religious exemption” bill that would have allowed businesses to turn away LGBTQ customers and potential hires in 2015. They are turning to coalitions to ensure they have strength in numbers, resources, and messaging alignment. And the net approval of same-sex relationships is emerging as a predictor of competitiveness and innovation in cities.Īll this to say, LGBTQ inclusion is good for the economy, and as more and more businesses make this connection, they are stepping forward to make the economic case for non-discrimination protections and against discriminatory laws. And they are not doing it alone. In a 2016 poll, nearly 50% of American meeting planners said they would avoid planning events in states that pass anti-LGBTQ legislation. Tourism - including conventions and major sporting events - is a specific concern. The public opinion shift they are driving has a wide range of economic impacts, such as the war for talent and the ability of cities and states to attract corporate investment. workforce and are essential to recruitment, brand, and consumer strategies. Millennials are now the largest group in the U.S. do not believe that small business owners should be allowed to refuse service to LGBT people for religious reasons, compared to 60% of Americans overall and 53% of senior citizens. Sixty-seven percent of young adults in the U.S. This increased public activity is largely the result of rapid opinion shifts, and Millennials and Generation Z are often at the leading edge. In recent years, however, something has shifted: more companies are speaking up on public policy impacting the LGBTQ community, and many are doing so in places where they face stiff headwinds, putting their brands and political relationships on the line - a pointed action in a climate where legal and political debates continue over whether businesses can refuse to serve LGBTQ people. Political activism has been slower in coming. One of the clearer case studies on the intersection of business and social issues is how companies have handled the rise of LGBTQ rights.įor many years, businesses have been working to improve their brands and their internal practices on LGBTQ issues, investing in culture, benefits, and marketing to welcome LGBTQ workers and customers, and to telegraph inclusion and openness.
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