Gay-rights advocates are saying Miami isn't "gay enough" for Amazon's second headquarters.
Advocates are planning a "No Gay? No Way!" campaign Thursday to pressure Amazon to avoid building in a state that does not protect its residents from sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination, according to a report by USA Today.
Of the 20 cities on Amazon’s list of finalists, nine have no anti-gay-discrimination laws, according to the campaign. Those cities include:
- Miami, Florida
- Austin, Texas
- Dallas, Texas
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Columbus, Ohio
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- The D.C. suburbs of northern Virginia
Amazon launched a public search for a second headquarters site last year.
The online marketplace giant asked cities to send in proposals, saying it preferred candidates with a:
- Business-friendly environment
- Highly educated labor pool
- Strong transportation options
- Good quality of life
The company said it would spend $5 billion building the new headquarters and it expected to hire 50,000 well-paid workers.
That prize needs to go somewhere all workers are welcome, says the ad hoc group launching the campaign.
“We were frankly just stunned that a company with... equality and diversity had put all these states into the mix,” said Conor Gaughan, the ad-hoc campaign's manager and communications consultant.
The group, which includes the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and a gay-rights activist and author, plans a demonstration near Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle on Thursday as Amazon prepares to issue its fourth-quarter earnings. It has also hired a plane to fly overhead trailing a "No gay? No way!" banner.
It also plans billboards on trucks driving through Seattle and online ads saying "Hey, Alexa? Why would Amazon even consider HQ2 in a state that discriminates against LGBT people?," according to the organizers.