A campaign titled “No Gay No Way” is urging Amazon to avoid building the new Amazon second headquarters in nine states who currently have no legal protections against LGBTQ discrimination. The states are Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio.
Currently, there are eleven cities in those states Amazon is considering. The Amazon second headquarters will be a five billion dollar project for the online shopping behemoth. It’s sure to provide a huge boost in revenues and employment for the city that gets the headquarters.
The website for “No Gay No Way” reads:
“It is shocking that Amazon would consider locating HQ2 with its over 50,000 employees in a state that doesn’t protect LGBT people or their families. In these nine states, it is legal to fire someone, deny them housing, or refuse them service just because of who they are or who they love.” 
Author David Mixner is one of the gay rights activists behind the campaign. He told NBC News that these states have a history of anti-LGBTQ legislation that the community has had to organize against.
“We have future LGBTQ employees who will be working at the new headquarters,” Mixner told NBC News. “We don’t want them to be at a place where they have no rights and no laws to guarantee their safety. LGBTQ employees should not have to work or live in that atmosphere, especially since taxpayers will be subsidizing a great deal of this move.”
“They have a right to be protected by their employers,” he added.
Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, is also part of the group launching the campaign.
“Employees can only bring their best to work if they live lives free from stigma and discrimination,” she said. “Amazon should reject for consideration any site that has failed to respect the dignity of its LGBT residents.”
Featured image via CNN Money
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