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Apple, Airbnb, eBay and others join legal battle in Virginia
Apple, Airbnb, eBay, PayPal, Salesforce and other tech companies have signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the case of a 17-yearold transgender student in Virginia, the companies said.
Other tech firms, including Box and Slack, also signed on. Others are expected to join the brief later this week.
While the case itself involves a high school student’s ability to use the bathrooms corresponding to his chosen gender, the issues it raises are broader and of interest to the tech community.
“We seek to defend against actions that violate our values, which is why we have signed this amicus brief with other likeminded companies seeking to uphold critical protections against discrimination,” PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff tweeted, “Let’s agree now to al- ways love all our children, and that our schools will be safe places for all. #EqualityForAll.”
Box CEO Aaron Levie said his file-sharing company deeply supports upholding and protecting the rights of all people regardless of their gender identity.
“We strongly oppose the administration’s decision to limit protections of transgender students, and we will continue to advocate for policies that provide equal treatment for everyone,” he said.
Grimm’s legal battle to use the bathroom of his choice at school is slated to be heard before the Supreme Court next month.
The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT rights organization, is crafting the amicus brief. Multi- ple groups, both pro and con, are also weighing in.
The tech connection was first reported by tech news site Axios.
With deep roots in the liberal San Francisco Bay area, a bastion of the struggle for LGBT rights for decades, tech companies are largely supportive of gay and transgender employees.
“Let’s agree now to always love all our children, and that our schools will be safe places for all.” Marc Benioff, Salesforce CEO