Salesforce's Benioff urges action over US anti-gay law

Salesforce boss calls on fellow tech CEOs to take a stand after controversial law is passed

Salesforce's chief executive Marc Benioff has called on fellow technology leaders to unite and "take a stand" against a controversial law passed in the US state of Indiana.

Yesterday, it was made legal in the state for businesses to refuse to serve gays and lesbians on religious grounds, according to Bloomberg.

Benioff (pictured) said he has cancelled all company travel to the state in light of the move.

He took to Twitter to vent his fury.

"Today we are canceling all programmes that require our customers/employees to travel to Indiana to face discrimination," he tweeted.

"Attention tech CEOs/industry: pay [attention] to what is happening in IN [and] how it will impact your employees [and] customers," he added in another.

In a further Twitter post, he called on other technology CEOs to "please take a stand".

Republican Indiana governor Mike Pence said in a statement that signing the bill would not sanction discrimination.

"This bill is not about discrimination, and if I thought it legalised discrimination in any way in Indiana, I would have vetoed it," he said. "For more than 20 years, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act has never undermined our nation's anti-discrimination laws, and it will not in Indiana.

"Indiana is rightly celebrated for the hospitality, generosity, tolerance, and values of our people, and that will never change."