Amazing. This is truly amazing, and decades in coming. You'll recall this was the bill that got killed last year after Microsoft pulled its support. Well, this year Microsoft didn't just support the bill, but the local Republican rep from Redmond (Microsoft's home) changed his vote from a no to a yes, and the bill passed 25-23 in the state Senate today.
This is really great news. And kudos to all those in Washington state who have fought for so long - decades, really - to get this passed. And thanks to Microsoft and all the other companies who publicly supported the legislation as good for business and good for America.
Gee, what a surprise. The far-right preacher who attacked Microsoft last year, and is attacking them again this year, because Microsoft supports equal rights for every American, has his own little Jewish problem. Here he is doing an interview about Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of Christ":
LEIGH SALES: Pastor Ken Hutcherson, who runs the Antioch Bible Church in Washington State, has seen an advance screening of the film. In order to generate favourable publicity, Gibson's company has invited select, mostly Christian audiences, to showings to ensure good word-of-mouth.
KEN HUTCHERSON: I think it's going to be controversial to those believers who don't want to admit the suffering that Christ had to go through to pay for our sins. I think it's going to be controversial to the whole view of the Jewish nation. The truth is that they did push to have Christ crucified. That's just plain truth... that's Biblical truth.
Maybe Cliff (of Cliff's Corner) will explain to us this coming Friday why he killed Christ.
Seriously though, putting aside the personal glee I feel whenever one of these radical right leaders shows their true colors, I think Hutcherson's comments are important for a number of reasons. They show just how nutty the opposition really is. These are not reasonable Christians who happen to disagree with us (and many of us are reasonable Christians as well, thank you very much). These are far-right religious zealots who have a rather extreme view of their own religion - which is certainly their right - but it's not their right to jam THEIR unique view of God down OUR throats.
That's why Hutcherson's admission about the Jews killing Christ is so important. Hutcherson is entitled to think that "the Jewish nation" killed Christ and that the world needs to keep being reminded of that fact. But that doesn't mean that Hutcherson gets to impose his personal (and rather extreme) view on every company in America, and every law in America.
Just like the American Family Association's troubling record of intolerance to Jews and Muslims (and gays), Hutcherson's personal views on Jews are indicative of who the religious right really is. The people leading these battles against corporate America, against the TV networks - these friends of the Bush White House - are not nice people. And any company, or politician, who cozies up to these people is aligning themself with prejudice and bigotry of the worst kind.
This is pretty sad to see Microsoft joining the other weak-kneed tech giants Yahoo! and Google who are going along with the Chinese government to censor "dangerous" searches such as "democracy", "freedom", "human rights", "demonstration" and others. If the government there wants to censor, let them do their own dirty work. They already have the resources to do it so why help them?
The religious right hate groups are now boycotting Ford Motor Company because, among other reasons, Ford offers benefits to its gay and lesbian employees and actively recruits gays.
THIS is what we were trying to tell Microsoft. These pigs aren't attacking you because you endorse pro-gay legislation. They're attacking you, and will continue to attack you, until you revoke your pro-gay INTERNAL policies and until you actively discriminate against gay and lesbian employees.
These are hate groups, they know one thing: hate. They exist for one thing: hate. They will not stop attacking you until you become as bigoted and hateful as they.
My point: Microsoft, you did the right thing, not just because it's the right thing, but because these sick pseudo-religious fucks wouldn't have left you alone until you fired every single gay employee.
Microsoft Corp. said Friday it has severed ties with Ralph Reed, a Republican lobbyist who once headed the Christian Coalition and who is running for lieutenant governor in Georgia.
"Ralph Reed is no longer on retainer with Microsoft," company spokeswoman Ginny Terzano told The Associated Press.
And as for Reed, if he ever had anything to do with Microsoft's role, or lack thereof, in this state's gay-rights debate, he won't next time. He's being deleted from the Redmond software giant's payroll, two company sources say, and he likely gets his last $20,000 check this month.
You may remember Dan Savage as the editor of the Seattle alternative weekly, The Stranger - the paper that broke the Microsoft going anti-gay story. Dan is also a regular sex advice columnist, published on The Onion and in lots of alternative weeklies around the country. His latest column is a must-read, and not very work-safe, if you worry about such things.
Below is the text of Steve Ballmer's company-wide email announcing their support for gay rights....again. It's a hell of a lot better than the one he sent out on April 22nd:
From: Steve Ballmer Sent: Fri 5/6/2005 9:01 AM To: All Employees of MS in Puget Sound; All Employees of MS in MSUS Subject: Microsoft's principles for public policy engagement
During the past two weeks I've heard from many of you with a wide range of views on the recent anti-discrimination bill in Washington State, and the larger issue of what is the appropriate role of a public corporation in public policy discussions. This input has reminded me again of what makes our company unique and why I care about it so much.
One point really stood out in all the emails you sent me. Regardless of where people came down on the issues, everyone expressed strong support for the company's commitment to diversity. To me, that's so critical. Our success depends on having a workforce that is as diverse as our customers - and on working together in a way that taps all of that diversity.
I don't want to rehash the events that resulted in Microsoft taking a neutral position on the anti-discrimination bill in Washington State. There was a lot of confusion and miscommunication, and we are taking steps to improve our processes going forward.
To me, this situation underscores the importance of having clearly-defined principles on which we base our actions. It all boils down to trust. Even when people disagree with something that we do, they need to have confidence that we based our action on thoughtful principles, because that is how we run our business.
I said in my April 22 email that we were wrestling with the question of how and when the company should engage on issues that go beyond the software industry. After thinking about this for the past two weeks, I want to share my decision with you and lay out the principles that will guide us going forward.
First and foremost, we will continue to focus our public policy activities on issues that most directly affect our business, such as Internet safety, intellectual property rights, free trade, digital inclusion and a healthy business climate.
After looking at the question from all sides, I've concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda. Since our beginning nearly 30 years ago, Microsoft has had a strong business interest in recruiting and retaining the best and brightest and most diverse workforce possible. I'm proud of Microsoft's commitment to non-discrimination in our internal policies and benefits, but our policies can't cover the range of housing, education, financial and similar services that our people and their partners and families need. Therefore, it's appropriate for the company to support legislation that will promote and protect diversity in the workplace.
Accordingly, Microsoft will continue to join other leading companies in supporting federal legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation - adding sexual orientation to the existing law that already covers race, sex, national origin, religion, age and disability. Given the importance of diversity to our business, it is appropriate for the company to endorse legislation that prohibits employment discrimination on all of these grounds. Obviously, the Washington State legislative session has concluded for this year, but if legislation similar to HB 1515 is introduced in future sessions, we will support it.
I also want to be clear about some limits to this approach. Many other countries have different political traditions for public advocacy by corporations, and I'm not prepared to involve the company in debates outside the US in such circumstances. And, based on the principles I've just outlined, the company should not and will not take a position on most other public policy issues, either in the US or internationally.
I respect that there will be different viewpoints. But as CEO, I am doing what I believe is right for our company as a whole.
This situation has also made me stop and think about how well we are living our values. I'm deeply encouraged by how many employees have sent me passionate emails about the broad respect for diversity they experience every day at Microsoft. I also heard from some employees who underscored the importance of feeling that their personal values or religious beliefs are respected by others. I'm adamant that we must do an even better job of pursuing diversity and mutual respect within Microsoft. I expect everyone at this company - particularly managers - to take a hard look at their personal commitment to diversity, and redouble that commitment.
The questions raised by these issues are important. At the same time, we have a lot of other important work to do. Over the next 18 months we'll release a broader, more advanced and more exciting set of products than at any time in the company's history. Let's all recommit to the job ahead, using our diversity as a strength to work together creatively and with respect for each other.
Wow. And wow. ´I arrived in Morocco for work yesterday and got a phone call from Joe today telling me we won the Microsoft dispute. And I can say is, holy shit. A few responses.
1. You guys did it. I told you that if we stood up, raising enough hell, worked with all the other great groups and blogs and everyone else speaking out, we could win, and we did.
2. Thank you so much to The Stranger that broke all the great Microsoft stories that were the basis of our calls to action, thanks to the Gay and Lesbian Center for all their work, Equal Rights Washington, and to all of you who responded to our calls to action, and finally, to Microsoft´s own employees, gay and straight, who stood up and fought against this outrage both privately and publicly.
3. And finally, thank you to Microsoft itself. I know we have you a hard time, but sometimes you have to hurt the one you love. I know I may get some flack for saying this, but I admire Bill Gates. Very few of us could take a hundred thousand bucks and turn into the richest man in the world. That´s part of the reason it was so important for him and his company to do the right thing in this case, and they did. They didn´t have to, but they did. And for that, they deserve and get our thanks and our support.
So, I´m going back to my bottle of Morrocan Chardonnay, and hope you´ll all take a second to sit back and relish a hard-earned victory. We´ve had so few of late, it´s nice to know that they still exist, so long as we all work together and act.
This is a big deal. John was doing some traveling today, so anxious to get his thoughts.
But here's my initial take:
We showed that you can't screw with us. Microsoft picked this fight...and they have backed down.
What are the immediate implications? Unfortunately, not so much for Washington State's GLBT community. They still are without state-wide protections.
But, there are major implications. All of us were concerned by the message that Microsoft was sending when they screwed us. It had the potential for serious ramifications nationally. Given the political climate created by the gay-bashing theocrats, the private sector was, in many ways, the only safe harbor we had.
This whole experience sends a signal to other corporations. Don't try to fuck over the gays. If Microsoft had to back down, the rest of you don't stand a chance. Don't think that other corporations weren't watching to see how this played out.
And don't think elected officials weren't watching, too. Now, we have to use this same energy on elected officials.
Kudos are due to the Microsoft employees who took a stand to make their company do the right thing...again.
This episode shows once again the power of the blogs...the progressive blogs...YOU....
And, it shows once again the political skill of John Aravosis. (and I am not just saying that because he is my good friend and gives me the great privilege of writing on Americablog.) John got this immediately. He understood what it meant and, with your help, he kept it alive....and, helped push it in to the mainstream media.
Think about it. Microsoft, the corporate behemoth that doesn't take any crap from anyone, just had to publicly admit they screwed up. That doesn't happen every day.
The Associated Press reports that Microsoft has changed its position back on the gay rights bill in Washington State:
After being criticized for quietly dropping support for a state gay rights bill, Microsoft Corp. chief executive Steve Ballmer told employees Friday that management would publicly back such legislation in the future.
Ballmer's commitment came two weeks after activists accused the company of caving to pressure from an evangelical pastor who had threatened to launch a nationwide boycott of the software company.
''After looking at the question from all sides, I've concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda,'' Ballmer wrote in an e-mail.
Ten of Microsoft's 11 departments signed off on the company joining an amicus brief supporting the legalization of gay marriage in Washington state. The only office not to sign off was the DC federal government affairs shop, run by an openly gay man (the guy who co-authored the Unofficial Gay Manual). Nice job, guy. Fortunately, his concerns, whatever they were, were apparently resolved, so all the departments were on board - unanimous agreement - until... You guessed it.
Microsoft's General Counsel Brad Smith, that great defender of anti-gay bigots, killed the company's support for gay rights, yet again.
At this point, it's becoming increasingly clear what and who the problem is at Microsoft. The anti-gay preacher knew EXACTLY who to put pressure on - the man who apparently runs Microsoft instead of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. A man who by most accounts is doing all he can to kill the company's progressive stances on gay rights legislation. Too bad Gates and Ballmer appear to have no balls. I'm dying to know what this Smith guy has on them.
Here's a quick excerpt from the Stranger:
Beginning in September, same-sex marriage advocates approached Microsoft and other local corporations to see if they would be willing to sign a brief arguing that the legalization of same-sex marriage would foster a tolerant image for Washington State that would in turn improve the business community's ability to recruit top-level national talent to local companies, the sources confirmed.
Microsoft put the request through extensive internal deliberation. Of 11 company departments that weighed in on the matter, 10 were initially receptive, with only the company's federal-government-affairs shop in D.C. objecting (according to recent news reports, former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed is a paid Microsoft lobbyist on international trade and competition issues). That objection was resolved, the sources confirmed, but in mid-December Smith vetoed the internal recommendations and decided not to sign off on the brief.
And a brief word. Regardless of the merits of a company signing off on the gay marriage issue, we again have a situation where Microsoft's departments, all of them, have signed off on something pro-gay, and Brad Smith the general counsel kills it. There isn't just smoke here, there's fire. This man is trouble, he has an anti-gay agenda and is forcing it quite successfully down Microsoft's throat, and Gates and Ballmer couldn't care less - or perhaps they're complicit and letting Smith be the fall guy. Either way, that company stinks.
Well, this is getting more interesting by the day.
According to The Stranger, the Seattle alternative weekly that broke the Microsoft story, a leader of Microsoft's gay and lesbian group, GLEAM, has announced his resignation from the company, blasting Microsoft General Counsel for lying about how the company's anti-gay policy developed over the past two months.
Mind you, this is now the 4th or 5th source ,at least, to say the exact same thing, that General Counsel Brad Smith is a liar.
Jeff Koertzen, an operations program manager and the secretary-treasurer of GLEAM, the gay and lesbian group at Microsoft that met on April 4 with Bradford L. Smith, the Microsoft senior vice-president and general counsel at the center of a furor over the company's decision, spoke to The Stranger after giving notice on Monday, May 2. The six-year Microsoft employee said he could no longer work at the company, given his belief that Smith and other company spokespeople are not being honest about what happened.
"I believe [Smith] is lying based on statements he made to us," Koertzen said. "My principles do not allow me to work for a company that does that."
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Just watch Microsoft gush about how proud they are to be so pro-gay, supporting the gay agenda, gay rights bills, and all the rest.
Some of my favorite parts:
- Microsoft calls people like Ken Hutcherson's anti-gay religious bigotry "extreme views":
When some of the most respected companies in America made it clear that they supported equality for gays and lesbians they also implicitly told those who oppose this equality that they were no longer in the mainstream and that their views were the extreme views.
- Microsoft is proud to be a strong supporter of gay rights legislation:
I'm proud to say that Microsoft has worked to defeat several anti-gay ballot initiatives and is also a strong supporter of ENDA, the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
- And here is my personal favorite:
We share your goals, we share your values, and most importantly Microsoft shares your commitment to equality and empowerment.
Uh, not so much.
(Video courtesy of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, who have asked for their award back from Microsoft - not a peep from Microsoft about the award - and to Crooks and Liars for editing and posting the video.)
The Sunday NYT profiles the homophobic religious right activist who got Microsoft abandon gays. This is my favorite paragraph from his anti-gay tirade.
"You tell me what I went through as an African-American, when they talk about discrimination, compared to what gays go through with discrimination - it's the difference between night and day, not even close," Dr. Hutcherson said. "I even get upset when people say, 'Well, you got to understand what they go through.' Not when they've chosen to do what they do. They can stop choosing what to do what they do, and they can hide it anytime they want. They can hide their homosexuality. Could I take a 'don't ask don't tell' policy as an African-American? I could try even to pretend I was Puerto Rican, but I'm still going to get blasted for my skin color."
I have several responses:
1. I didn't choose to be gay, but you did choose to be a radical-right Christian, and a bigot.
2. You're alive and Matthew Shepard is dead. Tell me again about who is suffering from worse discrimination.
3. They can hide it if they want? You mean like Jews, or light-skinned black people? So what exactly is your point?
And they said it couldn't be done...