North Carolina is attempting to pass a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. At least one major employer in North Carolina, Bank of America, recognizes that the move may prove to hurt the state. From Business Week:
“We’re in a war with other states across the country who would love to have the jobs that we have today,” said Catherine Bessant, global technology and operations executive at the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender, in a video posted to YouTube this month. “Amendment One has the potential to have a disastrous effect on our ability to attract talent and keep talent in the state of North Carolina.”
Here’s the video:
Bank of America is the state’s largest employer. The company hasn’t taken an official stance against gay marriage, but Bank of America was recently called the nation’s most LGBT friendly financial institution.
The Obama administration has also expressed its disapproval of the proposed measure,
“While the president does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples,” said Obama’s North Carolina spokesperson, Cameron French.
“That’s what the North Carolina ballot initiative would do – it would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples – and that’s why the President does not support it.”
