Apple CEO Tim Cook Writes Op-Ed in Support of U.S. Employment Nondiscrimination Act

tim_cook_time_photoApple CEO Tim Cook has publicly spoken out in support of the pending Employment Nondiscrimination Act in the form of an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, stating the company's feelings toward the current issue of workplace equality in the United States. The legislation would prohibit many civilian, nonreligious employers in the United States from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity for the purposes of hiring or other employment practices.

Cook explains in his article that Apple has made it a point to create "a safe and welcoming workplace for all employees, regardless of their race, gender, nationality or sexual orientation", while also elaborating on employee rights to express identity in a working environment.

Apple's antidiscrimination policy goes beyond the legal protections U.S. workers currently enjoy under federal law, most notably because we prohibit discrimination against Apple's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees. A bill now before the U.S. Senate would update those employment laws, at long last, to protect workers against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

We urge senators to support the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, and we challenge the House of Representatives to bring it to the floor for a vote.

A U.S. Senate vote on the act is currently scheduled for November 4, 2013.

Note: Due to the potentially controversial nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
ipad blue prime day

iPad 12 Rumored to Get iPhone 17's A19 Chip, Breaking Apple Tradition

Wednesday December 10, 2025 12:22 pm PST by
The next-generation low-cost iPad will use Apple's A19 chip, according to a report from Macworld. Macworld claims to have seen an "internal Apple code document" with information about the 2026 iPad lineup. Prior documentation discovered by MacRumors suggested that the iPad 12 would be equipped with an A18 chip, not an A19 chip. The A19 chip was just released this year in the iPhone 17, and...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

Nicky G Avatar
158 months ago
I've employed hundreds of people since 2001, and know countless business owners that do as well. I've never personally witnessed this "inequality" that people "witness" these days. I know this existed at one time, but I haven't seen it in the years I've been in business. On one hand you have people say that business owners/managers are "evil" and are only looking after their bottom line. On the other hand you have people saying these "evil" business owners/managers are discriminating against people. Well, which is it? If they're really only looking for their bottom line, wouldn't they employ the very best person for the job? It just doesn't make sense.

You have some that want to see an approximate split of 50/50 men/women, and if it's not approaching that there's discrimination. Many of these people don't take into account that certain jobs attract men and certain jobs attract more women. How many women aspire to shovel coal into a coal fired train? Or work in coal mines? How many men aspire to work in the textile industry? More men go into computer science than women, and therefore less women are applying for computer science related jobs. It doesn't mean employers are discriminating.

What a completely un-nuanced view of how things work. Could it be that some businesses don't discriminate, and some do? This may come as a shock, but your experiences don't necessarily translate to the rest of the world...
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Millah Avatar
158 months ago
I've employed hundreds of people since 2001, and know countless business owners that do as well. I've never personally witnessed this "inequality" that people "witness" these days. I know this existed at one time, but I haven't seen it in the years I've been in business. On one hand you have people say that business owners/managers are "evil" and are only looking after their bottom line. On the other hand you have people saying these "evil" business owners/managers are discriminating against people. Well, which is it? If they're really only looking for their bottom line, wouldn't they employ the very best person for the job? It just doesn't make sense.

You have some that want to see an approximate split of 50/50 men/women, and if it's not approaching that there's discrimination. Many of these people don't take into account that certain jobs attract men and certain jobs attract more women. How many women aspire to shovel coal into a coal fired train? Or work in coal mines? How many men aspire to work in the textile industry? More men go into computer science than women, and therefore less women are applying for computer science related jobs. It doesn't mean employers are discriminating.

Ah yes, gotta love the "if I haven't seen it, then that must mean it doesn't exist" type of logic. Bravo!

That's wonderful if you are an employer and have never (consciously) committed in this sort of behavior. But this country and workforce is much larger than just your own personal area.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
musika Avatar
158 months ago
I love it when people in positions of power speak out. Because usually it can help change things. Even if only a little.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mingoglia Avatar
158 months ago
I've employed hundreds of people since 2001, and know countless business owners that do as well. I've never personally witnessed this "inequality" that people "witness" these days. I know this existed at one time, but I haven't seen it in the years I've been in business. On one hand you have people say that business owners/managers are "evil" and are only looking after their bottom line. On the other hand you have people saying these "evil" business owners/managers are discriminating against people. Well, which is it? If they're really only looking for their bottom line, wouldn't they employ the very best person for the job? It just doesn't make sense.

You have some that want to see an approximate split of 50/50 men/women, and if it's not approaching that there's discrimination. Many of these people don't take into account that certain jobs attract men and certain jobs attract more women. How many women aspire to shovel coal into a coal fired train? Or work in coal mines? How many men aspire to work in the textile industry? More men go into computer science than women, and therefore less women are applying for computer science related jobs. It doesn't mean employers are discriminating.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JayCee842 Avatar
158 months ago
That picture of Tim Cook is so ominous looking. Stop using it! :eek:

I think it's a great picture. It makes him look fresh. :)

----------

I've employed hundreds of people since 2001, and know countless business owners that do as well. I've never personally witnessed this "inequality" that people "witness" these days. I know this existed at one time, but I haven't seen it in the years I've been in business. On one hand you have people say that business owners/managers are "evil" and are only looking after their bottom line. On the other hand you have people saying these "evil" business owners/managers are discriminating against people. Well, which is it? If they're really only looking for their bottom line, wouldn't they employ the very best person for the job? It just doesn't make sense.

You have some that want to see an approximate split of 50/50 men/women, and if it's not approaching that there's discrimination. Many of these people don't take into account that certain jobs attract men and certain jobs attract more women. How many women aspire to shovel coal into a coal fired train? Or work in coal mines? How many men aspire to work in the textile industry? More men go into computer science than women, and therefore less women are applying for computer science related jobs. It doesn't mean employers are discriminating.

wow! so just because you've never witnessed discrimination it doesn't exist? oh my. :rolleyes:
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maknik Avatar
158 months ago
Hey, wow, I just noticed that after 7 years I finally have enough posts to contribute to the politics threads.

So rather than making my first such post in the midst of yet another political controversy, it's great to be able to start here, and just say that this is a great development, and I'm glad Cook is speaking out about this. Good work!
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)