PayPal cancels plans for Charlotte, N.C., office in response to state anti-LGBT law

PayPal has withdrawn plans to open a 400-person operations center in Charlotte, N.C., citing the state’s recently-passed anti-LGBT law that discriminates against transgender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 It also follows Google Ventures’ decision to ban investments in North Carolina until the law is repealed, as well as an open letter from some of the industry’s top execs calling for the same.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.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via