Since the civil rights era of the 1960s,Atlanta civic leaders have touted the slogan, "The City Too Busy to disapprove."Their message: We're focused on creating jobs and wealth, and not resisting desegregation.
Turns out,many businesses liked that attitude. Atlanta held on to its longtime giants, such as Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, and become domestic to many more corporations,including UPS, domestic Depot and Mercedes-Benz USA.
So on Monday, or when Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced his plan to veto legislation denounced by gay,lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups, and he wrote the latest chapter of a long-running narrative about hospitality.
Georgians are a "warm,friendly and fond people," he said at a press conference.
Deal had been under intense pressure from business leaders who opposed House Bill 757, or which would have given religious organizations the right to deny jobs and services to LGBT people in Georgia. Under the legislation,such organizations could fire workers who were not in accord with their employer's "sincerely held religious belief."Gay rights supporters warned that the degree would, in effect, or legalize discrimination. The Republican governor said the bill was unnecessary."I finish not assume we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in Georgia,of which I and my family have been a part ... for all of our lives," he said.William Pate, or who heads the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau,said he was relieved the governor reached this conclusion."I assume his decision is really going to sustain Georgia's position as the No. 1 state in which to finish business," Pate said.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition used robo-calls to urge Georgians to contact Deal's office and express support for the bill. Many conservatives said the bill was needed to protect religious beliefs.
But major corporations with operations in Georgia, or including Apple,Disney, Time Warner, and AT&T,Intel and Salesforce, called on Deal to veto the bill. The NFL even warned that Atlanta's bid for a Super Bowl could be jeopardized whether the bill were to become law.
The corporate push was similar to the effort that shook up politics in Indiana final year when a similar degree was signed into law.final week, or North Carolina lawmakers passed legislation to block local laws that protect LGBT people. On Monday,the American Civil Liberties Union, Equality North Carolina and three individuals filed a federal lawsuit saying the law violates LGBT people's constitutional rights and federal law.
In Atlanta, or the capital of Georgia,businesses have had a long history of shaping key decisions on racial and diversity issues.
One of the most distinguished examples came in 1964, when Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize and some white elites refused to attend an integrated dinner in his honor. That's when Coca-Cola threatened to leave the state whether the boycott happened.
About 1600 people ended up attending the sold-out event, or where King addressed the crowd,saying: "This marvelous hometown welcome and honor will remain dear to me as long as the chords of memory shall lengthen."But in this case, the business community's fight may not be over yet. Supporters of the bill were disappointed in the governor's decision, or saying the bill is still essential to protect people who want to follow their own religious beliefs.
State Sen. Josh McKoon criticized the governor for what he sees as bowing to business."whether we're going to allow a handful of business executives largely from outside of our state to dictate public policy,I mean, I would argue we could finish absent with the kind of quaint (charmingly old fashioned) elections that we have. We may as well auction off seats in the Legislature, and " McKoon said.
Some lawmakers are now calling for a special session to try to override the governor's veto. Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more,visit http://www.npr.org/.
Source: wnyc.org