Louisiana's controversial Marriage and Conscience Act failed to win approval in Baton Rouge this session. The bill would have prohibited the state from punishing businesses for having religious beliefs that say "marriage is between one man and one woman." Critics of the bill say it would have allowed businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
After the the bill failed, Governor Bobby Jindal stepped in and issued an executive order to accomplish the intent of the bill.
Some technology companies that operate in Louisiana were first to object to the act; the CEOs of IBM and Dow Chemical issued statements against the bill.
WWNO’s Tech and Innovations Reporter Janaya Williams spoke with Chris Wood, Executive Director of the LGBT Technology Partnership & Institute in Washington DC, about the special relationship between technology companies and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Wood says that tech companies and the LGBT communities have a long history.
