Donald Trump And Trans Student Bathroom Laws: How Tech Is Responding To Admin's Latest Order

The Donald Trump Administration is once again at odds with parts of the tech community following the decision to roll back Obama-era guidelines that allow transgender students to use public school restrooms that match their gender identity.

Apple has been one of the most outspoken companies regarding the topic, issuing a statement that the company believes “everyone deserves a chance to thrive in an environment free from stigma and discrimination.”

"We support efforts toward greater acceptance, not less, and we strongly believe that transgender students should be treated as equals. We disagree with any effort to limit or rescind their rights and protections," the company said.

Apple hasn’t gone it alone in its defense of transgender rights; Uber noted it is "proud of our longstanding opposition to harmful initiatives aimed at the LGBT community," and promised to "continue to speak out against discriminatory actions and in favor of good policy that champions equality and inclusion for all."

Brad Smith, the president and chief legal officer for Microsoft, made the company’s position clear via tweet, stating, “Since Jan. 1, 1863, the federal government has played a vital role in protecting the rights of all Americans. Let’s not stop now"—a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation.

It is not the first time the tech giants have come together to make their position known in regards to transgender rights. Apple and Microsoft were also signatories on a letter from The Human Rights Campaign urging the repeal of a bill in North Carolina that forced transgender students in public schools to use bathrooms that are inconsistent with their gender identity.

Apple and Microsoft were joined at the time by executives from Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Airbnb, Yelp, Lyft, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Intel, Yahoo, IBM, PayPal and a number of other notable tech firms.

The pressure from businesses is believed to be one of the driving forces that helped turn public opinion on North Carolina’s bathroom laws and eventually led to the ouster of Governor Pat McCrory, who was defeated in the 2016 election.

Many of the tech companies who spoke out against the North Carolina bill have remained silent in the wake of the Trump administration’s recent decision to roll back protections on transgender students. It is unclear if the firms will rally to the issue the same way they did to oppose the executive order signed by Trump that banned travel from seven majority-Muslim countries.