PepsiCo CEO joins growing list of companies calling for LGBT law repeal

The CEO of PepsiCo – the company whose signature soft drink was invented in North Carolina – sent a letter Friday to Gov. Pat McCrory calling for the repeal of the state’s new LGBT law.

“I was taken aback by the legislature’s recent action in passing HB2, as well as your decision to sign it into law so quickly,” CEO Indra Nooyi wrote.

She said the law is “completely inconsistent with the way we treat members of the PepsiCo family; is at odds with our company’s historic experience in North Carolina; and is contrary to our values as a company.”

She added that the law “impedes our progress toward equality.”

PepsiCo is now headquartered in New York but still holds its annual shareholders meeting in New Bern and employs thousands in the state. Nooyi didn’t suggest that the company might make any changes in response to the law.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign said an additional 20 companies had joined 100 others in signing a letter to McCrory calling for repeal. The LGBT advocacy group delivered the letter to the governor’s office on Thursday.

The new additions to the list of opponents include Hyatt, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Northrop Grumman, Ralph Lauren, American Apparel, Qualcomm, Twilio, Udacity, Pandora Media and EMC Corporation.

The Keep N.C. Safe Coalition, which supports the law, has also added more businesses to its list of supporters. They include Archangel Michael Orthodox Christian Bookstore, To Your Health Bakery and Snyder Packaging.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 3:03 PM with the headline "PepsiCo CEO joins growing list of companies calling for LGBT law repeal."