Nearly 200 companies have now added their names to a statement to the Trump administration opposing new policy that would essentially erase transgender people from legal protections.
On Nov. 1, 56 companies signed the Business Statement for Transgender Equality, which declares solidarity with transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people. The statement got a boost on Tuesday when 121 more companies added their name to the list. The companies that have signed the letter have a total of 7 million employees and a collective annual revenue of more than $3.2 trillion.
“We call for respect and transparency in policy-making, and for equality under the law for transgender, gender non-binary, and intersex people,” the statement reads.
The letter was in response to a New York Times report that the Trump administration and legislators were making attempts to define gender as based on one’s biological sex at birth, a move that would further marginalize the demographic.
Removing the Obama-era protections has wide implications for transgender people, including the potential loss of civil rights.
The effort to oppose the changes was organized by 14 LGBTQ+ organizations.
“We’re deeply inspired to see so many of the world’s leading companies speaking with a united voice in support and defense of transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people,” founder of Out Leadership Todd Sears said in a statement. “The business community is serving as a crucial backstop for hard-earned progress on LGBT+ equality—because inclusive cultures are more innovative, more productive, and more efficient, and because it’s the right thing to do.”
Two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.
