North Carolina governor insults conservatives in appeal for Amazon HQ2

In his attempt to convince Amazon to bring its new headquarters to North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) seemed to dismiss those residents who disagreed with him on LGBTQ issues as being like the “embarrassing uncle” in a family, according to The Christian Post.

What did he say?

In a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos dated Oct. 5, 2017, Cooper made his state’s case for why Amazon’s upcoming HQ2 should be in North Carolina.

At the end of the letter, Cooper made an apparent reference to politicians who hold to conservative views about gender and sexuality, an issue that has divided North Carolina.

“Finally, I want to tell you that North Carolina is a welcoming state,” Cooper wrote. “Like every family with an embarrassing uncle or two, we have a few politicians who want it to be 1957 instead of 2017. But here in North Carolina, you’ll find authentic people who respect others, who love our families, people who work hard and are loyal to the state in which we live.”

Cooper also highlighted his state’s educational system and the way it “has transformed laborers into geeks.”

Raleigh, North Carolina, is one of 20 locations still being considered for Amazon's HQ2.

What about anti-discrimination laws?

LGBTQ rights activists have protested the inclusion of nine states on Amazon’s list of finalists that don’t have laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation: Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Although Amazon is a notably liberal corporation, its inclusion of these states makes it unclear whether the lack of such laws will be a factor in its final decision about the location of HQ2, which could result in tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars worth of investments for the city Amazon chooses.