In recent years, tech giants have sounded off in support of issues like same-sex marriage, which matter greatly to their employees. | GETTY Tech opens new war with Trump over transgender rights rollback Under the new policy, issued late Wednesday, the Justice and education departments jointly declared they had 'decided to withdraw and rescind' protections put in place by President Barack Obama.

Apple, Uber and Microsoft led a growing collection of tech companies taking aim at President Donald Trump after he issued a directive on Wednesday that rolls back federal protections for transgender students in public schools.

In a statement, Apple stressed its belief that "everyone deserves a chance to thrive in an environment free from stigma and discrimination," adding: "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.”


Uber, meanwhile, said it's "proud of our longstanding opposition to harmful initiatives aimed at the LGBT community," and it pledged it would "continue to speak out against discriminatory actions and in favor of good policy that champions equality and inclusion for all."

And Microsoft, through a tweet from president and chief legal officer Brad Smith, swiped at the order in a subtle way. "Since Jan. 1, 1863, the federal government has played a vital role in protecting the rights of all Americans. Let’s not stop now," Smith wrote, referencing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Under the new policy, issued late Wednesday, the Justice and Education departments jointly declared they had "decided to withdraw and rescind" protections put in place by President Barack Obama, which ostensibly allowed transgender students to use the restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. As states challenge the order in court, the Trump administration halted it in order to "further and more completely consider the legal issues involved."

Many tech giants have been vocal advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers. Some of those companies, a day later, reaffirmed that support. In a statement Thursday, Google said it is "deeply concerned to see a roll-back in transgender students' rights, while Lyft said in a statement it "oppose[s] this action and, as always, stand in support of the LGBTQ community."

Many other tech firms, like Airbnb, Amazon, Salesforce and Twitter, have yet to respond to requests for comment. Facebook on Wednesday declined to comment. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond Thursday to an email seeking comment on the criticism from tech companies.

Trump’s move still marks an escalation in the bitter standoff between Silicon Valley and Washington, which erupted last month over immigration, after the president issued an executive order that limited travelers and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. The policy, which has since been challenged in court, drew opposition from a tech industry that employs scores of workers from around the globe — and has long sought to expand its ability to attract and retain foreign engineers.

Trump’s stance on transgender rights, however, strikes even deeper at the political heart of the tech industry’s home in the San Francisco Bay Area, an epicenter in the country’s decades-old LGBT civil-rights movement.

In recent years, tech giants have sounded off in support of issues like same-sex marriage, which matter greatly to their employees. Apple, Facebook and Google signed a court brief opposing the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, before the Supreme Court overturned it in 2013. Years later, those same companies fought vigorously when Vice President Mike Pence, then Indiana’s governor, signed a so-called “religious freedom” law that would have allowed businesses to discriminate and lesbian and gay customers. Apple CEO Tim Cook, in particular, played a vocal, active role in both battles, years after revealing himself as gay.

And in North Carolina, which sought to restrict transgender students to using bathrooms that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificate, many tech giants similarly leaped into action. Companies like Airbnb, Apple, Facebook, Salesforce, Twitter, Uber and others slammed the bill, known as HB 2, in a joint letter that called the law discriminatory and damaging to their businesses.

Even one of Trump’s top technology advisers — Valley investor Peter Thiel — has opposed such restrictions on transgender Americans. Months before Trump won the election, Thiel, who is gay, appeared on stage at the Republican National Convention and urged the party to refrain from waging “culture wars” against the LGBT community. He specifically cited the debate around bathroom access as a “distraction from our real problem[s].” A spokesman for Thiel declined to comment.

