Apple chief executive Tim Cook received a lifetime achievement award from his alma mater Auburn University and gave a speech which touched on racism and LGBT rights.
The 13-minute speech, which is available from the university on YouTube, told of Cook's personal experience of seeing cross-burning in Alabama and said that most discrimination was "rooted in fear," according to the video. Cook also voiced his support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which ensures employees will not be discriminated against by gay, lesbian, bisexual and gender.
These values have also recently guided us to support legislation that demands equality and non-discrimination for all employees, regardless of how they love. This legislation, known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. I have long believed in this, and Apple has implemented protections for employees, even when the laws did not. Now is the time to write these principles of basic human dignity into the book of law.