On Monday, Governor Pat McCrory took questions on HB 2 at a groundbreaking ceremony at the biotech company Novo Nordisk’s Clayton, North Carolina facility. McCrory has championed the company as proof of his “Carolina Comeback,” but the Danish company has some “concerns” about HB 2.
Novo Nordisk is an international company based in Denmark, a country that has had sexual orientation non- discrimination protections for years and was the first European country to ban the ridiculous practice of sterilization as a penalty for trans folks. The expansion in Johnston County will nearly double their workforce at that site.
In an August 2015 press release announcing the expansion at the company’s Clayon facility, McCrory’s office called them “a leading global manufacturer of insulin and related diabetes treatment products,” and said that “this billion-dollar decision by Novo Nordisk more than doubles the size of its North Carolina workforce and underscores the Research Triangle’s global leadership in bio-manufacturing,”
“We have a longstanding tradition of nondiscrimination protections in the workplace,” Novo Nordisk U.S. media relations director Ken Inchausti told the INDY. “Covering gender identity, sexual orientation, race…we value diversity as an institution within our workplace.”
When asked if Novo Nordisk had an official position on HB 2, Inchausti responded, “We’ve had a private word with the governor, I’l leave it at that.” When asked again in a later call, Inchausti said, “We shared our concern.”
After the interview, Novo Nordisk sent an official statement.
“As a major employer in the state, we have a responsibility to foster equality at work for all of our employees. We value diversity and inclusion, and have policies that provide our employees a workplace free of discrimination and harassment, including discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.”
As previously reported, a slew of companies and organizations, including Apple, Google, Facebook, IBM, Red Hat, Biogen, the NBA, and the NCAA have all come out against HB 2. Meanwhile, McCrory pitched a fit when reporters asked him questions about the outrageously stupid bill he signed.