Atlanta-based companies under attack from state Sen. Josh McKoon for opposing his anti-gay “religious freedom” bill fired back, standing firm “against policies that would allow discrimination.”

The three companies – Delta, Coke and UPS – all enjoy gay-friendly track records when it comes to policies impacting employees and customers, and show it when they take part in the Atlanta Pride parade (photos). So they offered their responses to McKoon when he blasted Delta and other companies for “their cultural norms, their liberal far-left cultural norms” and opposition to his controversial “religious freedom” bill. 

The companies responded via the AJC:

Delta said this week it is “proud of our diverse work force and customer base and will continue to oppose policies that would allow discrimination against any of our employees and customers.”

It was a fairly measured response to Republican state Sen. Josh McKoon’s recent comments accusing Delta CEO Richard Anderson of having a “serious disconnect.”

In 2014, Delta CEO Richard Anderson blistered McKoon's legislation, lawmakers retaliated earlier this year and the company then worked to regain its LGBT mojo.

Sandy Springs-based UPS responded that it “does not support legislation at the federal or state level that is contrary to our longstanding culture of valuing diversity, inclusiveness and equal opportunity.”

Coca-Cola stuck to an earlier statement, saying it “does not support any legislation that discriminates, in our home state of Georgia or anywhere else…. We believe policies that would allow a business to refuse service to an individual based upon discrimination of any kind, does not only violate our company’s core values, but would also negatively affect our consumers, customers, suppliers, bottling partners and associates.”

Coke gave “religious freedom” supporters heartburn earlier this year when it said the legislation “discriminates.”