5 Things / leverage

Transgender people in the U.S. have been under attack in a number of states that passed or are considering laws excluding them from schools and sports. In fact, the state of Florida is on the verge of passing a law permitting genital inspections. And the response from U.S. companies has been "crickets."

The good news is that the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) threatened to pull championship games from states with anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Their statement reads, in part: “The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. Our clear expectation as the association’s top governing body is that all student-athletes will be treated with dignity and respect.”

The potential economic loss is huge as these 90 or so championship games bring massive amounts of revenue to host cities. The NCAA realizes it has enormous leverage. In fact, when the NCAA moved games from North Carolina after the state passed anti-transgender bathroom bills, the state backtracked on some of the more egregious parts of that law.

This matters because the NCAA is using its influence and its spending power to be an active ally for inclusion.

Similarly, Will Smith’s new film Emancipation will no longer be filmed in the U.S. state of Georgia in protest of the state’s strict new voter suppression laws. The statement reads in part, "We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access…reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting.” This matters because these laws are racist and economic boycotts can be incredibly effective at driving change.

These types of actions can be modeled by any size organization, and not just as a form of protest. Your organization can use its own spending power and influence to do business with diverse suppliers and set diversity standards that your other major suppliers must meet.

Here are some other good vibes I found this week:

• It was (another) heavy week in the U.S. for Black people. In response to the shooting of unarmed Daunte Wright by a police officer, Ben and Jerry’s pulled no punches. The company tweeted, “The murder of #DaunteWright is rooted in white supremacy and results from the intentional criminalization of Black and Brown communities.”
  
  Ben and Jerry’s is one of the more socially activist companies in the U.S. and has been speaking out against systemic racism for years. Of course, it’s not enough to only speak up, but when many other companies stay quiet, employees and customers take note of the ones that don’t. Showing up for Black employees always matters.
  
  

• This week Disney updated its dress and style code to give employees greater freedom in self-expression and remove all gendered rules around hair, jewelry, and nails and more. “Cast members” can also now display visible tattoos and don’t have to choose between male and female costumes. This matters because employees who feel like they have greater freedom of self-expression at work are generally happier and more loyal -- and that translates into a better guest experience.
  
  

• Everyone who gets vaccinated at CVS Pharmacy will no longer have to provide their “sex assigned at birth” in addition to their gender identity. The previous policy asked both questions, which essentially outs transgender people and is not medically relevant. CVS received push-back and removed the question without hesitancy. This matters because it’s an unnecessary question, which makes transgender people feel unsafe and vulnerable.

Image by: WAPT