INSTITUTE INDEX: Business vs. bigotry
Chris Sgro of Equality NC (left) and Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin (right) present a letter to Thomas Stith, Gov. Pat McCrory's chief of staff, signed by scores of business leaders calling for a repeal of HB2. (Photo is a still from a video posted to Equality NC's Facebook page.)
Number of prominent business leaders who signed a letter this week calling for a full repeal of North Carolina's HB2, the so-called "bathroom law" that among other things overturns local ordinances protecting LGBT people: more than 90
Rank of Bank of America, one of the letter's signatories, among the largest North Carolina corporations by revenue: 1
Number of extra "Equality Means Business" decals the LGBT advocacy group Equality NC had to order in the past week to meet the demand of businesses eager to publicly express their pledge to not discriminate: 1,000
Date on which one North Carolina company, Fullsteam Brewery of Durham, demanded that it be removed from all state travel and tourism promotional efforts until HB2 is repealed: 3/31/2016
Number of companies that came out against a bill introduced in the Georgia legislature to effectively legalize discrimination against LGBT people under the banner of "religious freedom": over 400
When Arizona considered a similar bill in 2014, which was eventually vetoed by Gov. Jan Brewer (R), number of businesses that spoke out against it before passage, suggesting a shift in how corporations respond to such legislation: 0
Date on which Gov. Nathan Deal (R) vetoed Georgia's bill, saying it doesn't reflect the state's welcoming image: 3/28/2016
Number of economic development prospects that Deal said abandoned Georgia because of the proposed legislation: 2
Amount the host committee for the Republican National Convention is hoping to raise from corporate sponsors for the event, to be held in Cleveland in July: $64 million
Number of people who've signed a petition launched by the civil rights advocacy group Color of Change calling on companies not to sponsor the GOP convention because of the "hateful and racist rhetoric" of likely nominee Donald Trump: more than 100,000
Amount Arkansas-based Walmart has pledged to contribute to the convention this year: $0
Amount the company contributed in 2012: $150,000
Amount Atlanta-based Coca-Cola contributed to the Republican convention in 2012: $660,000
Amount the company has donated for the event this year, indicating it doesn't plan to give any more: $75,000
(Click on figure to go to source.)
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Sue Sturgis
Sue is the former editorial director of Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies.