PayPal, Apple and Salesforce are among the numerous tech companies that have joined a campaign in favor of LGBT rights.
The three companies are supporting a same sex couple in a legal battle against Colorado baker in which the baker refused to sell a wedding cake to the couple. PayPal, Apple and Salesforce have signed onto the court brief which is being spread by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The latter also hopes that more companies will also jump on board in to support the couple and also fight for equal human rights. The Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case is the latest cause of debate over the interpretation of religious rights as well as human rights.
The legal battle spans all the way back to 2012 when David Mullins and Charlie Craig, a same-sex couple tried to order a cake from the Masterpiece Cakeshop. However, the owner of the cake shop refused to sell to the couple and argued that their relationship was against his religious beliefs. The HRC took up the case and filed a legal battle against the cake shop in an effort to get the court to rule against such discrimination not only for Craig and Mullins but also for others who have found themselves in such situations.
“PayPal is committed to preserving human rights and advancing the principles of inclusion and equality that are at the core of our values,” pointed out a PayPal spokesperson in an email.
The spokesperson also wrote that PayPal and other tech companies signed the brief in order to support the campaign against discrimination and that they also seek to defend against actions that go against their values. Companies had until Wednesday to sign the brief. It is currently not clear how many companies managed to sign before the deadline. The case against The Masterpiece Cakeshop is expected to determine whether businesses can use the First Amendment as the basis to refuse to render services.
Earlier this year, another LGBT-related case saw 54 tech companies providing overwhelming support to a transgender Virginia high school student called Gavin Grim. The student claimed that the school denied him the right to use male restrooms.