back to article Tim Cook stands firmly behind pro-LGBT, anti-discrimination law

Tim Cook has demanded Congress pass a bill banning workplace discrimination against gay or transgender people. The Apple CEO used an op-ed in the Washington Post to urge politicians to back the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA). The House of Representatives is expected to take a vote today on whether to enshrine the bill …

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  1. This post has been deleted by its author

  2. returnmyjedi

    Come on Tim!

    Mr Cook using his powers for good.

  3. Suricou Raven

    And religion.

    Don't forget religion - I'm not sure about the federal level, but most states certainly prohibit employment or public accommodation discrimination on grounds of religion. This is important, because it means whenever a religious group starts complaining about gays being given 'special rights' or claiming that their own freedoms are being infringed by being forced to 'endorse sin,' you are perfectly justified in accusing them of hypocrisy.

    1. handle

      Re: And religion.

      And vice versa, unfortunately.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A question

    Aren't the majority of the people employed as a result of Apple's endeavours actually in the Far East?

    1. nanchatte
      WTF?

      Re: A question

      Why, because there are no gays in the Far East?... O_o

      Your point, sir?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: A question

        In the Far East they very much exist and co-exist well. It's in the Middle East where things are very different.

      2. Oninoshiko

        Re: A question

        Well, one point is that US Laws (as much as US Lawmakers want to feel to the contrary) have little to no effect in china.

  5. Indolent Wretch

    Yeah it's nice when I can see someone at Apply doing something genuinely noteworthy and right. Long may it continue.

  6. squigbobble

    The Yanks are catching up!

    Quick! We need to find somet' else to ban discrimination against... gingers?

    1. nanchatte

      Fecking prejudice, eh? who needs it?

      Tim Minchin has something to say about predudice...

      http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KVN_0qvuhhw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKVN_0qvuhhw

    2. Frankee Llonnygog

      Re: The Yanks are catching up!

      Maybe we can discriminate against sociopaths?

    3. CmdrX3

      "Quick! We need to find somet' else to ban discrimination against... gingers?"

      Judging by the recent 'kick a ginger day event', I'd say some nut jobs might cause it to be an eventual sad reality.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not Princess Hacker.

    Kristin is known as Hacker Princess, not Princess Hacker.

    Look at the business card. Jeez.

    1. Fibbles

      Re: Not Princess Hacker.

      I'm at a loss as to how allowing someone to have a ridiculous job title proves Apple's equality credentials. I don't doubt that Apple is all for equality, I just don't understand the link here.

      1. Si 1

        Re: Not Princess Hacker.

        Agreed, and frankly if I received a CV from someone who said their previous job was "hacker princess" I would have no qualms immediately discriminating against them for having a stupid job title that doesn't suggest they take their role of system security seriously.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What about women, Stan?

    Does the US have a national law against sex-discrimination yet, or is that rolled into this bill?

    1. Suricou Raven

      Re: What about women, Stan?

      Checked. It does. Just as for race. ENDA just adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the list.

      It's got a religious exemption, of course - churches aren't affected.

  9. Crisp

    Nice to see America catching up to the rest of the civilised world.

    "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" seems like a nice place to start. I read that in a declaration of independence somewhere.

    1. handle
      Joke

      Re: Nice to see America catching up to the rest of the civilised world.

      Indeed - created equal, but then recruited by those filthy homothexuals whereupon they chose to be "sinners".

      And like Queen Victoria, that says nothing about lesbians.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Nice to see America catching up to the rest of the civilised world.

      ""We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" seems like a nice place to start. I read that in a declaration of independence somewhere."

      Yeah, the guy that wrote that (Jefferson) had plenty of time to get the words right, what with all the slaves he owned getting the other work done for him.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    is it 'cause I is black

    all well and good - but won't stop folk claiming their dismissal was because they are a tranny/gay/pregnant/one legged blacked lesbian and not just because they are shit.

    I imagine a tranny can be just as shit at their job as a white middle class straight american - and should therefore be just as easy to fire, from an equality viewpoint.

    1. Stacy

      Re: is it 'cause I is black

      Firstly, wow could you try and be more offensive with your language?

      Secondly, of course a transsexual / gay / lesbian / bi-sexual person can be as bad at their job. It's not supposed to be a get out of jail card for being useless. It's about ensuring that they can only be fired for being useless - i.e. the employer has to prove they are useless just as they do for their white middle class straight american employees.

      It shouldn't been seen as a 'special right' to be afforded the same protections as the rest of the population!

    2. handle

      Re: is it 'cause I is black

      Seeing as Prez Obama is described as "black", is anyone actually "white"?

      1. Suricou Raven

        Re: is it 'cause I is black

        Obama is in the region where white people consider him black, but black people consider him white.

    3. TrishaD

      Re: is it 'cause I is black

      "I imagine a tranny can be just as shit at their job as a white middle class straight american - and should therefore be just as easy to fire, from an equality viewpoint."

      Well, indeed so. She might equally be rather good at it (like me).

      It's not that she shouldnt be as easy to fire, but that she should be no more easy to fire..

      There - that wasnt difficult, was it?

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

  11. Greg J Preece

    This wasn't already illegal? They're pushing for gay marriage, but it's still legal to sack people for being gay?

    1. handle

      Remember this is the Untied States of America.

    2. Mike Moyle

      @ Greg J Preece

      The thing to remember is that the United States is a federated patchwork of (semi) independent political units that are allowed to draft their own laws so long as they don't contravene the Federal laws (and, sometimes, if they do; e.g. recreational/medical marijuana laws).

      The states that have legalized same-sex marriages are likeliest (haven't checked them all -- don't plan to) to already have anti discrimination laws on the books that include LGBTs, and the ones that don't are likeliest not to. This is the reason for the push for a Federal anti discrimination law -- to sweep the floor, as it were, and ensure that someone that can't be fired for being gay in, say, Massachusetts, can't be fired if their job moves them to Utah.

    3. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      In the US you can sack people for no reason and no notice in many states, it's called "right to work" (who said Americans don't do irony !)

      If the person you are firing is a visible minority there is normally an automatic lawsuit - just from no-fee lawyers. The result is that you never tell anyone the reason they are being fired - because it gives their lawyers ammunition. Which is a shame because quite often it's not their fault, it's just the company's needs change.

      This clause just gives the lawyers another class to chase. One side effect is that it would force people to be openly (even flamboyantly) gay in the office in order to show that you knew they were gay when you fired them.

  12. Bob Hoskins
    Alert

    There's no dignity....

    ....in letting another man bugger you.

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