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发帖数: 19713 | 1 Dozens of Big U.S. Companies Come Out to Support Marriage Equality
Dozens of major American corporations — including Facebook, Apple, eBay,
and more — are filing a brief with the Supreme Court in support of same-sex
unions.
BY DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL FEBRUARY 27 2013 11:34 AM ET
Several large corporations signed on to an amicus brief in the landmark
Hollingsworth v. Perry case, which is now in front of the Supreme Court and
which could strike down laws banning same-sex marriages, like California's
ballot initiative Proposition 8, as unconstitutional.
According to a draft copy obtained by Fortune, the companies argue that such
laws "send an unmistakeable signal that same-sex couples are in some way
inferior to opposite-sex couples, a proposition that is anathema to amici's
commitment to equality and fair treatment to all."
Fortune's Roger Parloff reports that at least 60 companies had committed to
signing the brief as of Tuesday and that number is expected to rise today.
Intel, Morgan Stanley, Apple, Facebook and eBay are among today's newest
signatories. Among the companies that signed on to the brief earlier are
Kimpton, Levi Strauss, McGraw Hill, Nike, Office Depot, and Verizon.
The brief, which challenges Prop. 8, also argues, writes Parloff, that "
recognizing the rights of same-sex couples to marry is more than a
constitutional issue. It is a business imperative."
The underlying argument states that "By singling out a group for less
favorable treatment, Proposition 8 impedes businesses from achieving the
market's ideal of efficient operations — particularly in recruiting, hiring
, and retaining talented people who are in the best position to operate at
their highest capacity. Amici are competing domestically and internationally
with companies inside and outside the United States in places where all
couples, regardless of whether they are of the same sex, are afforded equal
access to marriage."
Parloff also writes that the brief argues that when "potential recruits or
employees are members of a same-sex couple," they "may forgo the opportunity
to work in California, and prefer other states (like Iowa, New York, and
Massachusetts) or other nations (like Spain, Sweden, Denmark, the
Netherlands, Portugal, or Belgium) where they can be married and obtain
equal treatment and respect under the law." |
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