Apple Inc. is deciding whether to establish a new corporate hub in the Raleigh-Durham area, despite the state’s still-hostile regulatory environment for LGBT+ people. North Carolina is one of only three states with laws expressly forbidding cities from adopting protections for LGBT+ residents; Apple been known as a strong corporate ally of equality, and its chief executive officer Tim Cook is gay.
North Carolina state legislators have committed to expanded tax breaks for employers “promising thousands of jobs,” although this has not been directly tied to Apple’s upcoming decision.
Some observers believe that a potential Apple campus could set motion for social change in the state, but others are skeptical. Kate Oakley of the Human Rights Campaign noted, “Apple has an opportunity to lead by locating and investing in places that fully protect LGBTQ people. North Carolina is not one of those places.”
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