Apple and Amazon join over 50 companies opposing rollback of transgender rights

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• The Trump administration is proposing a legal definition of sex as male or female based on an individual’s sex at birth, according to a report by The New York Times.
• On Thursday, more than 50 companies — including tech giants like Apple, Google, Amazon — signed a letter opposing any actions by the administration to legally define sex as binary and determined upon birth. 
• “We believe no one should be discriminated against for being who they are,” said IBM’s Vice President, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Tia Silas. 
• More companies are expected to sign the letter in the coming days. 

The tech world has responded to The New York Times report that the Trump administration is considering rolling back transgender rights. 

On Thursday, more than 50 companies — including tech giants like Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Uber, and Airbnb — signed a letter opposing any actions by the administration to legally define sex as binary and determined upon birth, Axios reports.

The letter read, in part: 

“We, the undersigned businesses, stand with the millions of people in America who identify as transgender, gender non-binary, or intersex, and call for all such people to be treated with the respect and dignity everyone deserves. We oppose any administrative and legislative efforts to erase transgender protections through reinterpretation of existing laws and regulations.” 

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Read more: The Trump administration’s reported proposal to make an ‘unchangeable’ definition of sex based on genitals isn’t backed by science — here’s why

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Companies outside of tech, like Nike and Levi Strauss, signed the letter as well. 

In a company blog post, Cisco’s Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, Francine Katsoudas said: “We must protect and advocate for the equality of transgender, intersex, and gender-expansive people inside and outside the workplace.” 

IBM’s Vice President, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Tia Silas, said: “We believe no one should be discriminated against for being who they are.” 

The 56 companies that signed the letter on Thursday employ nearly 4.8 million people. According to the press release, more companies are expected to sign the letter in the coming days. 

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