Microsoft Pushes For Gay Marriage In Washington State 678
New submitter plsenjy writes "An article in the Atlantic outlines how Microsoft Corp. has submitted its support for a Washington State provision allowing gay couples to marry. Citing the company's inability to compete for top talent in the face of discrimination, Microsoft joins other firms such as Nike and Vulcan to effectively change moral policy from the top-down."
Re:Glad to see Microsoft taking this position (Score:5, Informative)
It's not at all surprising that they're taking that positions. Same sex rights is one of the few areas in which corporate America has been by and large ahead of the curve. I'd wager that if you took a survey at MS and similar corporations that support would be pretty high.
Plus IIRC they've been on that side on the last few times this has popped up for vote.
Re:First Bing, now this? (Score:5, Informative)
As much as I personally love bashing MS, the reality is that they've had this position for quite a while now. For instance they gave $100k to support Ref 71 which if passed would allow the everything but marriage bill to be enacted. And IIRC that was hardly the first time they supported the general cause of equality for sexual minorities either.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoftpri0/2010010778_microsoftgave100000to.html [nwsource.com]
Re:First Bing, now this? (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry, Microsoft was well ahead of Google when it comes to gay rights (like giving insurance and other benefits to same-sex domestic partners in 1993 before Google was founded). Read about GLEAM (Gay and Lesbian Employees at Microsoft) [wikipedia.org] to get a concise summary of gay support by Microsoft.
YEAH!!! (Score:4, Informative)
Microsoft has, for a very long time, been supportive of LGBT folks. Microsoft's benefits have, for a very long time, fully covered domestic partners at the same level as spouses. Microsoft supports GLEAM -- Gays and Lesbians At Microsoft -- and openly supports GLEAM marching in Seattle's gay pride parades.
And it isn't just some corporate PR sham. I've worked at Microsoft since 1997, and have worked with almost a dozen gay/lesbian folks, who were out and happy at work.
Re:Microsoft has always been (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I get so tired of this..... (Score:5, Informative)
While its hard to clearly separate religious and government institutions that existed before the adoption of the norm of church/state separation in the host society (which really begins in the modern era), marriage historically was largely governed principal by general, rather than any special ecclesiastic, law even in the Christian West through the early part of the Middle Ages, was performed under local customs that often predated the local adoption of Christianity, and didn't involve the clergy at all; during the Middle Ages, the Church became involved, first by having clergy present as witnesses (though still, for some time, prohibiting marriage inside the sanctuary of a church), and later -- as the Church acquired a role as a kind of "international government" in Europe, through prescribed rites and an active regulatory role.
It is more defensible to reverse this to say "if the Church hadn't become a quasi-governmental entity and expanded its area of regulation into marriage and other traditional areas of government control, we wouldn't need to have this debate."
The idea that marriage was an institution of the church before it was an institution of government governing the distribution of property is nearly as historically inaccurate as the idea that it is some kind of universal truth that marriage has (prior to recent years) historically always been between one genetic male and one genetic female.
Re:So they are trying to poach Googles employees (Score:4, Informative)
Microsoft has supported its LGBT employees since before Google even *existed*.
Nice attempt at trolling, though.
Re:Microsoft (Score:4, Informative)
Except that Microsoft has a long tradition of supporting gays and lesbians going back to 1989. [microsoft.com]
Otherwise, I might be suspect as well.