Some of the largest organizations in the United States are speaking out against North Carolina’s Amendment One—a discriminatory measure against same-sex marriage that will appear on the state’s May 8, 2012 ballot. Cathy Bessant, Global Technology & Operations Executive at Bank of America – one of the many financial institutions headquartered in North Carolina — says the constitutional amendment, if passed, would burden the corporation in finding talent and hinder the bank from being a “progressive, forward-looking” corporation.
“We are in a war… we’re in a war with other states across the country who would love to have the jobs [we have in North Carolina]… Amendment One is a direct challenge to our ability to compete nationally for jobs and economic growth. Large corporations hate this kind of controversy. They deal with diverse work populations for whom issues like this aren’t just important in terms of where it is that they live, but are important indicators of the diversity and meritocracy of where they want to work.”
She added, “Amendment One… significantly signals that we are a backward-looking economy. Amendment One has the potential to have a disastrous effect on our ability to attract and keep talent in the state of North Carolina.”
Bassant’s effort to educate the public on the dangers of Amendment One is a part of the “Protect All NC Families” campaign, which aims to educate voters on the amendment prior to May’s ballot.
