Corporate Activism Finds its Footing On Religious Freedom Laws
Various cities and associations also called for boycotts and bans on business trips to the states if legislators there didn't add some civil rights protections to their laws.
Less than a week after Cook's op-ed, Republican Govs. Mike Pence of Indiana and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas signed language into law that added protections against discrimination by sexual orientation or identity. Other states, like North Carolina, that are considering similar legislation should take note.
The success of this protest shows how much attitudes toward same-sex marriage have changed since 2004, when the possibility of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage was a major presidential election issue.
Back then, Republicans easily put Democrats on the defensive about the issue. Now, on the brink of the 2016 campaign, it is Republican hopefuls who are trying uneasily to carve out a position that satisfies both their conservative base and the more moderate swing voters they would need to get elected.
The protest success also offers an important lesson in corporate activism: If you want to move red-state governors, among other political leaders, hit 'em in their job markets.
When Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz scaled back their odd campaign to encourage busy baristas to talk about race relations with customers days after it began, he sounded like he was declaring victory after he had surrendered.
Cook, by contrast helped to energize a national movement that popped up like a flash mob and went viral, not only through political activists but also through corporate board rooms.
That's a big change from the corporate world's traditional avoidance of unnecessary controversies. But Cook and other CEO's don't act without support from their boards and stockholders. They understand, as Cook does, that companies need to be competitive in attracting the best workforce to their states -- without letting unfair prejudices get in the way.
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E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@tribune.com.
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