Bloomington-based developer Doran Cos. has decided to stop buying materials from suppliers in Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee in the wake of laws recently passed in those states that limit the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
In a Friday announcement, Doran said it would refrain from purchasing materials, furnishings or other supplies from the three states and more significantly, delay a planned office expansion in Nashville, Tennessee. This week Kelly Doran, Doran Companies owner and chief manager, issued the policy, which is effective immediately and will continue as long as the laws remain in effect.
"The vision and success of Doran Companies is grounded on a foundation of equality and mutual respect," Doran said, in the policy announcement. "To be true to these company values – and to the basic human rights and freedoms embedded in the Constitution of our country – Doran Companies will join a long list of respects businesses and organizations across the United States in establishing the following policy."
Doran's policy refers to a law in North Carolina that requires transgender people to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their birth gender as opposed to their gender identity, a law in Tennessee that allows mental health counselors to refuse to treat patients based on their personal beliefs, and a law in Mississippi that allows people to deny wedding services to same-sex couples due to their religious objections.
