In an op-ed column for the Washington Post, Apple CEO Tim Cook says pro-discrimination “religious freedom” laws popping up all over the country are dangerous. Cook sees a law passed last week in Indiana which allows individuals to use their religious beliefs to refuse service to customers — and another in Texas taking the pay of clerks issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples — as transparent efforts to legalize discrimination. “These bills rationalize injustice by pretending to defend something many of us hold dear.
They go against the very principles our nation was founded on, and they have the potential to undo decades of progress toward greater equality,” Cook said.
In keeping with Apple’s commitment to “empower and enrich” the lives of its customers, Cook is adding his voice to the growing group of public figures and businesses opposing the Indiana law and similar legislation being considered in other states. Citing examples from the 1960s civil rights movement, Cook said the debate isn’t political or religious.
“This is about how we treat each other as human beings. Opposing discrimination takes courage. With the lives and dignity of so many people at stake, it’s time for all of us to be courageous,” he said.
