PayPal Just Took A Stand Against North Carolina’s Anti-LGBTQ Law

A new North Carolina law that denies anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals has proven wildly unpopular since since N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed it last month. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit in response to the law, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) banned non-essential state travel to North Carolina because of the legislation. Now, PayPal is taking action against the law, too. Dan Schulman, PayPal's CEO, announced Tuesday that the company is canceling its plans to create an operations center in Charlotte, N.C. The expansion would have brought the state 400 new jobs — and a $3.6 million investment from the payment company, The Associated Press reports. "The new law perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture," Schulman wrote in the announcement, posted to the company's website. "As a result, PayPal will not move forward with our planned expansion into Charlotte." He went on to write that PayPal values the principles of fairness, inclusion, and equality, and because of that is compelled to "take action to oppose discrimination." PayPal is now looking for a new location for its operations center, but it will also work with the LGBT community in North Carolina to help overturn the legislation. While many tech companies get attention for their struggles with diversity, this is one example of an industry heavyweight proving that it pays to stand up for equality.