2021 Open Letter of Tennessee Businesses Against Discrimination

Tennessee is a great place to do business. As we work to recover from the economic impacts of
the COVID-19 pandemic, we still have one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates, and
companies in many sectors are expanding and hiring. Business interest in relocating to the state
remains high, and we continue to build thriving sports, tourist, and convention business across
the state. Our economy is proof that our business-friendly legislative agenda is the right
approach, and one that benefits all of the state’s citizens.

However, one thing continues to concern companies: the state’s reputation on inclusion and
diversity as it relates to our ability to attract, nurture, and retain talent and tourism business.

Tennessee’s future growth and innovation rely on the state being open and welcoming to
everyone. Policies that signal that the state is not welcoming to everyone put our collective
economic success at risk.

Our businesses strongly embrace diversity and inclusion because we want everyone who works
for us or does business with us - and their families - to feel welcome and safe as their authentic
selves. Fairness, equal treatment, and opportunity are central to our values because we
care about our employees and the customers we serve. These values also directly affect
our bottom lines: Inclusive business practices and communities lead to more productive and
engaged employees, more creativity, increased customer satisfaction, and improved
competitiveness.

We ask that lawmakers not pursue legislation that would target or exclude LGBT people
of all ages. We need our workers and their families – including any transgender members of
their families – to feel welcome. We urge policymakers to remain committed to the values of
innovation and growth that we all share.

Any movement of these exclusionary bills is particularly troubling while we are dealing
with so many other pressing workforce and economic concerns amidst the COVID-19
crisis. Overwhelming empirical evidence shows that discrimination is bad for business, bad for
economic competitiveness, and bad for the state. In challenging economic times, we can’t
support our state putting energy behind anything that could make us less innovative or
competitive.

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

We ask our legislative leaders to help us continue to make Tennessee
a welcoming and inclusive state to all people.

We appreciate your public service and look forward to continuing our

partnership.

Corporate Signers TN Small Business Signers

1. AC Entertainment 1. 8&R Coffee
2. AllianceBernstein 2. 11Seventy
3. Amazon 3. A Catered Affair
4. Asurion 4. ADL Southeast
5. Bird 5. Anchor Employment Services, Inc.
6. BMG 6. Angelfish Arts
7. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, - 7. Anne-Marie Zanzal Coaching
8. - The Bonnaroo Farm, 8. Any Lab Test Now
9. - The Bonnaroo Works Fund 9. Any old iron Lc
10. C3 Presents 10. Architecture Inc
11. Castle Retail Group 11. Associated Urologists of Nashville
12. Central BBQ / - RSCB Holdings 12. Axis7 Enterprises, LLC
13. Cummins Inc. 13. BAM! Social Business, LLC.
14. Dell Technologies 14. Batch
15. Discovery, Inc. 15. Be Truly Social
16. Diversity Builder, Inc. 16. Belcourt Theatre
17. ENA 17. Bianca Paige Awareness Network
18. Genesco Inc. 18. Blue Monkey Ent LLC
19. Google Fiber 19. Brandagement, LLC
20. Hyatt 20. Brinnovate LLC
21. Kobalt Music Group 21. Butcher & Bee
22. Live Nation 22. Cadenhead Design
23. Lyft 23. Chady Property Management
24. Mars Petcare 24. CHOICES – Memphis Center for
25. MediCopy Reproductive Health
26. MP&F Strategic Communications 25. Christina R. Perkins, LCSW
27. Nashville Business Coalition 26. Clemmons & Clemons, PLLC
28. Nashville Convention and Visitors 27. Clifton+Leopold
Corp 28. Comstasis, LLC

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

29. Nashville International Airport, 29. Conexión Américas
BNA 30. Connect
30. Nashville Soccer Club 31. Cooper-Young Community
31. Nissan North America, Inc. Association
32. Peloton Interactive, Inc. 32. Culture Shift Team
33. Pfizer Inc. 33. Danielle Tipping, Psy.D., PLLC
34. Pilot 34. DL Bradford Interiors and Design
35. Robin Road Trust Company LLC
36. Ryman Hospitality Properties 35. DOG AND A DUCK
37. ServiceSource International, Inc. 36. Doggie Doo’s
38. Squadron Capital 37. Fairfield by Marriott Nashville
39. Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, Downtown/The Gulch
including member companies - 38. First Congregational UCC Church
40. - Danone North America; 39. Franklin Pride TN
41. - Mars, Incorporated; 40. Friends For Life
42. - Nestlé USA; and 41. Frothy Monkey
43. - Unilever United States 42. G Squared Wireless, LLC
44. TechNet 43. Good Neighbor Festivals
45. Tennessee Business Roundtable 44. Good People Collective, LLC
46. Tennessee Chamber of Commerce 45. Hair Vibes/Hair by Brandy
and Industry 46. Harbin Hollow, LLC
47. The RayNa Corporation 47. HARMONY COACHING &
48. The Turnip Truck CONSULTING
49. Vanderbilt University 48. Hawley-Rooks Real Estate Team
50. Warner Music Group 49. Holliman Psychotherapy Services
50. Home Run Pet Care
51. Hyatt House Nashville at
Vanderbilt
52. Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown
53. Icon Tattoo & Body Piercing
54. Inspired Concepts and Events
55. It City Entertainment
56. James Covington, Realtor
57. Jane Kilmer Therapy
58. Jay Kill Events
59. Johnson Squared Consulting LLC
60. JONATHAN Davis
61. Kaleidoscope Vapor
62. Kevin Hackney Real Estate

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

 63. KKirton STRP
64. Knoxville Behavioral & Mental
Health Services
65. Kobalt Music Group
66. Law Office of Alan Fister
67. Law Office of Ben Israel
68. Law Office of Kevin Teets
69. Legacy Farms
70. Leven Works
71. Living Well Counseling Center,
PLLC
72. LLOYD MCDONALD USHEALTH
ADVISORS
73. Lovejoy Weddings
74. Main Event Productions, LLC
75. Manicured Lawns
76. Margot Cafe and Bar
77. Matt Dillman - Realtor, Reliant
Realty
78. Melo Green Botanics LLC
79. Mercy Lounge, LLC
80. Miriam's Promise
81. Momentum Counseling, LLC
82. Music City Roots / Roots Radio
83. Nashville Ballet
84. Nashville in Harmony
85. Nashville Men's Health
86. Nashville Scene/ FWPublishing
87. Nashville Symphony
88. Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
89. No Quarter
90. Noah E. Spiegel Consulting
91. Old Town Trolley Tours of Nashville
92. Pape Ventures, Inc.
93. Pawsitive Pet Care
94. Peckers Bar & Grill
95. Perennial Design Studio
96. Play
97. Pretty Useful Co.

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

 98. Radiant Health Institute
99. Rager Adolescent Health, PLLC
100. Ron Sanford Productions
101. Rubenfeld Law Office, PC
102. Rustic Restaurants, LLC
103. S&L Companies, LLC
104. S&L Solutions
105. Sara Ray Interior Design
106. Shakti Power Yoga
107. Sifted
108. Simply With Dawn S Corp
109. Sinema
110. SkillSet Coaching & Organizing
111. Social Link
112. Soles4Souls
113. SolomonWood, LLC
114. Southern Fatty Media, LLC
115. Southport Solutions, LLC
116. Spay Memphis
117. Stark Business Optimization
LLC
118. Suzy Wong’s
119. Taylor Made Plans
120. The Beauty Shop Restaurant
121. The Lipstick Lounge
122. The Siraaj Agency
123. The Rabbit Hole VR
124. The Working Law Firm
125. Thistle Farms
126. Tinney Contemporary Gallery
127. TNB-Fitness
128. Tolbert Marketing and Events
129. Tonda McKay Photography
130. Tribe
131. Utopia Animal Hospital
132. Vapor Max 2 LLC
133. Weatherford Enterprises LLC
134. Welty Law Office

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

 Individual Business Statements

Amazon: “Amazon values our continued partnership with Tennessee as it is a great place to do
business and has a talented workforce. We have a long history of supporting equality and we’re
opposed to laws that discriminate or encourage discrimination. Amazon strongly encourages
Tennessee to revisit any laws that may harm the LGBTQ community so that the state can not
only be a premiere location for business investment, but also be a leader in diversity and
inclusion.”

Dell: “As a company, we are always striving to attract the best and brightest, and to help our
team members thrive. A big part of that is making sure that every person on our team feels that
they are welcome at work, that they’ll be treated with dignity, and that they’re valued for who
they are. That’s something we’ve worked hard on for many years. But one thing we’ve learned
over the past several years, especially in a very tight market for talent, is that we have to think of
the 360-degree, full life of our team members and their families. If they feel safe and included at
work, but their spouse or their kids don’t feel safe and included in their daily lives, it takes an
enormous toll on our team members. We care about that because we care about them, and we
also care because it presents us with an enormous risk from the perspectives of productivity,
recruitment, and retention.

In thinking about the daily lives of our team members and their families, each of the
controversial bills being presented for vote against the LGBTQ+ community, is unjust and does
not align with our core people values. Values that say that we treat others equally, and with
dignity and respect. Currently TN representatives are voting on several bills against this
community and as a business with operations across the country, we can attest that in states
that make efforts to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone, this is where our team members
grow and thrive, along with their families. When our team members grow and thrive, so does
Dell Technologies.”

Pilot: “Pilot is committed to building a diverse and inclusive company, and to actively
participating in efforts across the state to ensure that every Tennessean has the rights and
dignity we all want for our families. We categorically oppose legislation and legislators that seek
to harm or exclude LGBT people, when we should instead be expanding legal protections for
our LGBT family and ensuring that every Tennessean has safety and an opportunity to thrive
with pride.”

Mars Petcare: “At Mars, we believe our business and our community are at their best when we
embrace and celebrate all people. We firmly believe that everyone is equal and that every

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

person deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and fairness. We value our presence across
the state of Tennessee and continue to invest here as it has been a great place to do business.
Discrimination has no place in our business or our laws. We strongly oppose any bill that would
negatively impact our entire community and the thriving business environment that we currently
have. We respectfully urge the legislature to reject and Gov. Lee to veto any such bills.”
OpEd put out by Mars Petcare parent company Sustainable Food Policy Alliance Corporate
leaders: Companies should work against anti-LGBTQ bills in Texas, other states

Warner Music Group: “WMG is proud of its longstanding presence in Tennessee. The
continued success and growth of our business here depends on our ability to recruit and retain
a best-in-class, diverse workforce. We often receive questions about whether Tennessee is a
welcoming and inclusive place to live for the LGBT community. These bills send a clear
message that LGBT artists, songwriters and employees are not welcome.”

Nashville Soccer Club: “As a major league sports club in Major League Soccer, we carefully
selected diversity and inclusion as two of our core values as an organization. We cannot and do
not condone discrimination of any form, or support legislation that explicitly or implicitly allows
discrimination against the LGBTQ community and their families. Our team and we believe our
city, should be open to all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, ethnic origin, and race, and
we stand as proudly with the LGBTQ community as we do with all other communities.”

Diversity Builder, Inc: “We affirm that Tennessee is a welcoming state where we value and
celebrate difference. We encourage the people of Tennessee and its legislature to protect
workers from discrimination based sexual orientation and gender identity, which are protected
classes under the category of sex in federal law.”

Music City Roots: “We are committed to diversify in all that we do: In our team, in our
community and in our entertainment offerings. Let freedom ring.”

COL Jennifer Pritzker: As someone with deep roots in Tennessee, I was excited to make this
state the home of my family’s private trust company. Our team has had a great experience
working with the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, and I have always felt
welcome by that Department, and all who work there. Under the governor at that time,
Tennessee presented itself as an inclusive place that would continue to welcome people of all
backgrounds. Yet now, with the currently proposed and recently passed anti-LGBTQ legislation -
15 filings this year alone and more than 70 filed since 2015 - Tennessee is clearly not the
friendly, inclusive state for business as I was led to believe.
As a transgender woman, these unnecessary and hurtful laws are personal to me. But as a
businesswoman, my larger concern is the impact they will have on Tennessee’s reputation and,
ultimately, economic well-being, as businesses and tourists turn elsewhere. No state benefits
from the perception that it is an intolerant and unwelcome place for people of different
backgrounds, and it alarms me gravely to see this state vying for the title of least inclusive in the

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

nation. As a result, Governor Lee and a majority of the State Legislators are creating an
environment that will force me to consider moving my family’s business out of Tennessee.
Furthermore, given that many families have at least one relative identifying as LGBTQ, I suspect
other families will also consider moving out of Tennessee – and, when evaluating it for purposes
of domiciling a private trust company, will not choose this state for the same reasons.
As a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, and a longtime conservative with hopes for resuming my
support for the Republican Party, I also find these laws un-American and anything but
conservative. The government should not be censoring teachers, and forcing businesses to
hang stigmatizing signs outside bathrooms just because the state’s political leaders deem some
people “abnormal.” Be aware, this opens the door to all kinds of discrimination: against women,
people of color— your sisters, daughters, neighbors, friends. Anyone political leaders decide is
“lesser than”, “different than” or “unworthy of equal protections under the law”.
Many of us feel deceived and defrauded by these developments, having been enticed to do
business in the state under the false pretense that it would remain inclusive. If the legislature
insists on embracing division and exclusion, we may have little choice but to pull our business
out, harming workers and their families the most. I implore this state’s political leaders to
embrace unity, and the economic interests of all Tennesseeans.
Jennifer N. Pritzker
President & CEO, TAWANI Enterprises, Inc.
Colonel (IL), IL ARNG (Retired)
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

Geographic Breakdown of Signers:

Corporate/Statewide Signers: Amazon, Bird, BMG, The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Castle, including The Bonnaroo Farm, The Bonnaroo Works Fund, AC Entertainment, C3
Presents, Live Nation; Retail Group, Central BBQ / RSCB Holdings, Cummins, Discovery
Network, Inc., Diversity Builder, Inc., ENA, Fairfield by Marriott Nashville Downtown/The Gulch,
Frothy Monkey, Genesco Inc., Good People Collective, Google Fiber, Kobalt Music Group, Lyft,
MediCopy, Nashville Soccer Club, Nissan North America, Inc., Peloton Interactive, Inc., Pfizer
Inc., Pilot, Robin Road Trust Company, Ryman Hospitality Properties, ServiceSource
International, Inc., Squadron Capital, Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, including member
companies Danone North America; Mars, Incorporated; Nestlé USA; and Unilever United
States, Tennessee Business Roundtable, The Turnip Truck, Vanderbilt University, Warner Music
Group

West Tennessee: Architecture Inc., Blue Monkey Ent LLC, CHOICES – Memphis Center for
Reproductive Health, Cooper-Young Community Association, Danielle Tipping, Psy.D, PLLC,
First Congregational UCC Church, Friends For Life, Harmony Coaching & Consulting, Law
Office of Ben Israel, Pretty Useful Co., Spay Memphis, The Beauty Shop Restaurant, The
Working Law Firm, Utopia Animal Hospital

Middle Tennessee: 8&R, 11Seventy, ADL Southeast, Anchor Employment Services, Inc.,
Angelfish Arts, Anne-Marie Zanzal Coaching, Any Lab Test Now, Any Old Iron LC, Associated
Urologists of Nashville and Nashville Men's Health, Axis7 Enterprises, LLC, BAM! Social
Business, LLC., Batch, Be Truly Social, Belcourt Theatre, Bianca Paige Awareness Network,
The Brandagement, Brinnovate LLC, Butcher & Bee, Cadenhead Design, Chady Property
Management, Clemmons & Clemons, PLLC, Clifton+Leopold, Comstasis, LLC, Conexión
Américas, Connect, Culture Shift Team, D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe, DL Bradford Interiors and
Design LLC, DOG AND A DUCK, Doggie Doo’s, Franklin Pride TN, G Squared Wireless, LLC,
Good Neighbor Festivals, Good People Collective, LLC, Hair Vibes/Hair by Brandy, Harbin
Hollow, LLC, Hawley-Rooks Real Estate Team, Holliman Psychotherapy Services, Home Run
Pet Care, Hyatt House Nashville at Vanderbilt, Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown, Icon Tattoo &
Body Piercing, Inspired Concepts and Events, It City Entertainment, James Covington, Realtor,
Jane Kilmer Therapy, Jay Kill Events, Johnson Squared Consulting LLC, Jonathan Davis,
Kaleidoscope Vapor, Kevin Hackney Real Estate, KKirton STRP, Knoxville Behavioral & Mental
Health Services, Law Office of Alan Fister, Law Office of Kevin Teets, Leven Works, Living Well
Counseling Center, PLLC, Lloyd McDonald USHealth Advisors, Lovejoy Weddings, Main Event
Productions, LLC dba Legacy Farms dba A Catered Affair, Manicured Lawns, Matt Dillman -
Realtor, Reliant Realty, Melo Green Botanics LLC, Mercy Lounge, LLC, Miriam's Promise,
Momentum Counseling, LLC, MP&F Strategic Communications, Music City Roots/Roots Radio,
Nashville Ballet, Nashville Business Coalition, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, Nashville in
Harmony, Nashville Scene/ FWPublishing, Nashville Symphony, Nelson's Green Brier Distillery,
No Quarter, Noah E. Spiegel Consulting, Old Town Trolley Tours of Nashville, Pape Ventures,

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..

Inc., Pawsitive Pet Care, Peckers Bar & Grill, Perennial Design Studio, Play/Tribe/Suzy Wong's,
The Rabbit Hole VR, Radiant Health Institute, Rager Adolescent Health, PLLC, Ray Rico
Freelance, LLC, Focus Magazines (Memphis & Nashville), Ron Sanford Productions, Rubenfeld
Law Office, PC, Rustic Restaurants, LLC dba Margot Cafe and Bar, S&L Companies, LLC, S&L
Solutions, Sara Ray Interior Design, Shakti Power Yoga, Sifted, Simply With Dawn S Corp,
Sinema, SkillSet Coaching & Organizing, Social Link, Soles4Souls, SolomonWood, LLC,
Southern Fatty Media, LLC, Southport Solutions, LLC, Taylor Made Plans, The Lipstick Lounge,
The RayNa Corporation, The Siraaj Agency, Thistle Farms, Tinney Contemporary Gallery,
TNB-Fitness, Tolbert Marketing and Events, Tonda McKay Photography, Weatherford
Enterprises LLC, Welty Law Office

East Tennessee: Christina R. Perkins, LCSW, Stark Business Optimization LLC, Vapor Max 2
LLC

This letter was organized by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce..