When Apple's Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, Tim Cook became CEO and he being gay was not yet public, though many suspected. He focused on all things Apple quietly as a gay man. Then in late October 2014, Apple's CEO wanted to go public that he was proud to be gay and clearly stated to BloombergBusiness that he didn't consider himself an activist. It was reportedly a tough decision to go public about being gay because he was a private person. Shortly thereafter, Tim Cook very publicly criticized his home State for failing to advance LGBT rights.

Then last November Apple joined other tech companies to fight a Houston Texas supporting Prop 1, Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance and Apple threw their weight in by stating that they employ 500 people at Apple stores and that people had to right worship or love whoever they wanted. Houston voted against the Prop 1 by 61 to 39.

North Carolina passed a new law this week that overturned a bid to extend anti-discrimination protections for gays. This week American Airlines, Apple, NBA denounced the North Carolina law ending LGBT protections.

Ricky Diaz works on McCrory's re-election campaign and wrote on Thursday evening that many businesses agree with the governor that the Charlotte City Council shouldn't have made it in an issue in the first place by passing the ordinance last month.

The governor has said city leaders overstepped when they agreed transgender people can use restrooms and locker rooms aligned with their gender identity. McCrory says it threatened the basic privacy the public expects in these facilities.

But not everyone agreed with that. First there was the loud and in your face "Black Live Matter" and now the trend has extended to "Trans Lives Matter," according to Reuters. The demonstrators, carrying signs and chanting phrases like "Trans lives matter," blocked traffic in front of Republican Governor Pat McCrory's residence in Raleigh, according to images shared on Twitter by reporters, gay rights groups and protesters.

Once again, the business group including Apple that fought for Prop 1 in Houston were once again vocally protesting North Carolina's law. Apple sent a statement to business reporter Katie Peralta that was reflected in the tweet below:

By now it's clear that this will be the norm with Apple, being a part of every gay issue going forward. Apple's onetime quiet and humble CEO who didn't consider himself a gay activist, is now the most active of all CEO's for gay rights in American business today.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 6pm PST and sporadically over the weekend.