Apple may be opening a new headquarters in North Carolina – despite anti-LGBT laws and boycotts

Two North Carolina government officials have claimed that Apple is about to decide whether to open a large corporate base in the state – despite the state’s contentious anti-LGBT laws.

The government officials told the Associated Press that the tech giant is in the final stages of deciding whether to open a large corporate hub in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.

Wherever it is opened, the new location could create between 5,000 to 10,000 jobs, making it one of the largest corporate sites in the country.

However, the potential move to North Carolina has been strongly criticised due to the state’s harsh laws that allow discrimination against LGBT people.

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North Carolina lost a string of big investment ventures after former Governor Pat McCrory’s decision to sign the contentious HB2 in 2016.

The original HB2 law, voided all local ordinances protecting LGBT rights, banned transgender people from using their preferred bathroom, and permitted businesses to discriminate against LGBT people on the grounds of religious belief.

Brands such as PayPal and Deutsche Bank as well as multiple civil rights groups including the NAACP began a boycott of the state in protest of the law.

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HB2 was partially repealed in 2017 and replaced with HB142 by Democrat Governor Roy Cooper, which many LGBT rights groups deemed a ‘partial’ repeal.

Many groups have criticised Apple, lead by out CEO Tim Cook, for potentially bringing millions of dollars worth of investment to the state while it discriminates against LGBT people.