Gearbox Software executive David Najjab has threatened to relocate the developer due to the Texas House of Representatives’ anti-trans bill.
The well-known game developer Gearbox is based in Frisco Texas and is famous for such titles as the Borderlands Series, Duke Nukem Series, Battleborn, The Half-Life series, Godfall, and the Homeworld series among others.
Yesterday the game developer made the news for approaching the Texas house of representatives with numerous others to oppose the Texas House Bill 4042.There was an open letter voicing concerns over the bill that was signed by more than 40 companies including, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and others.
The bill in question is the Texas House Bill 4042, which would force transgender students in public schools to participate in sports based on their gender at birth.
David Najjab said “I’m a Texan, I was born here. I know it’s a welcoming, friendly place. I want us to push that, not be making up laws we don’t need.”
He also stated: “Our game company’s in competition worldwide. We sell more to Asia than we do in the United States. We bring a lot of money into this state. We’re headquartered here. Don’t drive us to where we have to start expanding outside of Texas and outside of the country. We want to keep doing business here.”
The bill has been opposed by many and of those most are individuals who will be personally affected by the bill. Najjab, who has worked for Gearbox since 2015, concentrated on the bill’s effect on industry, both for Gearbox and for the state as a whole.
Najjab added that “The discriminatory legislature would make it harder for Gearbox to keep and recruit the best and the brightest to work in Texas.”
The group as a whole are all Texas-based and have decried the “resurgence of efforts to exclude transgender youth from full participation in their communities” adding that it will “continue to oppose any unnecessary, divisive measures that would… make our customers, our visitors, and our employees and their families feel unwelcome and unsafe.”
The letter concluded with the words:” “We urge policymakers to continue to focus their good work on fostering a state that works for everyone and welcomes everyone.”
This isn’t the first time that Gearbox has been involved in similar politics. In 2017 the CEO of Gearbox Randy Pitchford himself opposed a Texas bill that would prohibit transgender people from using the restroom of the gender in which they identify.
Pitchford wrote to Texas Governor Greg Abbott to express his opposition to the bill. This bill was later overturned. It’s encouraging to see some large corporations taking an interest in the LGBTQ community’s well-being and rights.