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PayPal has withdrawn plans to open a 400-person operations center in Charlotte, N.C., citing the state’s recently-passed anti-LGBT law that discriminates against transgender people.
“The new law perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture,” PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said in a blog post. “As a result, PayPal will not move forward with our planned expansion into Charlotte.”
The withdrawal comes just two weeks after PayPal first announced plans for the office, which was expected to house customer service and risk operations roles, among others. It also follows Google Ventures’ decision to ban investments in North Carolina until the law is repealed, as well as an open letter from some of the industry’s top execs calling for the same.
The law in question, HB2, has been widely criticized for several reasons. It voids local government laws that protect LGBT people against discriminatory measures. It also essentially stipulates that transgender people need to use gendered bathrooms in schools and government buildings that match the gender on their birth certificate, not their own gender identity.
“This decision reflects PayPal’s deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect,” Schulman added.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
