Yelp, Apple and PayPal press Supreme Court to rule against LGBT discrimination

Yelp, Apple and PayPal will all sign on to an amicus brief in support of the Supreme Court ruling that discrimination against LGBT people be illegal, the companies confirmed to The Hill.

The brief is being coordinated by the Human Rights Campaign and according to Axios, the deadline to sign on to the brief was Wednesday. The brief is reportedly due Monday.

A source familiar with the brief said that they expect more technology companies to sign on before it is submitted to the court. 

The Human Rights Campaign did not return requests for comment.

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PayPal said that it signed the brief because it reflects the value of the company,

“PayPal is committed to preserving human rights and advancing the principles of inclusion and equality that are at the core of our values,” a PayPal spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We seek to defend against actions that violate our values, which is why we are signing this amicus brief with other likeminded companies seeking to uphold critical protections against discrimination.”

It’s unclear if other tech companies signed on before the deadline of the to-be-released brief. If others didn’t join Yelp, Apple and PayPal, support from the tech industry will be much smaller than for past causes.

In March, 53 companies signed an amicus brief backing a Supreme Court case on protections for transgender students. The industry has rallied around other LGBT causes and signed briefs on immigration in droves.

The case, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, focuses on whether or not businesses can refuse service because of the First Amendment.

In July 2012, same-sex couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins tried to order a cake from Masterpiece Cakeshop to celebrate their wedding, however, the owner refused to serve the couple based on the grounds that doing so would violate his religious beliefs.

Axios first reported on the brief.