Google comes out against anti-gay California Proposition 8
Mega-corporation, Google, has taken a clear stand against California’s upcoming Proposition 8, in the company’s official blog, joining such heavyweights as Levi Strauss, maker of the gay-ubiquitous Levi’s 501 jeans worn by many gay men in the 70s and 80s. Proposition 8 (”Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry“) is the state popular initiative that would remove the California constitutional right of same sex couples to marry. In California, propositions can be placed on the state ballot for a direct, popular vote by Californians. These initiatives are a powerful way for citizens to circumvent an often sluggish state legislature, state courts, or governor.
Money is flowing into California, from sources such as The Knights of Columbus and the Latter Day Saints church (both anti-gay and for the proposition) and Brad Pitt and Pacific Gas & Electric (both against the proposition with Brad Pitt being visibly pro-gay). Since California requires donors’ names on the public record, check out the Secretary of State’s website listing of the donors to the anti-gay, pro-Proposition 8 position here.
Historically, propositions like this one fail because Californians generally see these matters as removing or reducing civil rights. Let us hope the generally fair-minded citizens will continue to support the evolution and emergence of civil rights in our civil society, much as this state did back in 1948 by removing legal barriers to multi-ethnic marriages in the landmark decision in Perez vs Sharp, when California was the first state to strike down anti-miscegenation laws. The 1948 decision arose from the Fourteenth Amendment to the American Constitution that provides for the right to equality of all people.
Check out Sergey Brin’s statement here. Brin makes it clear that this is a fundamental position for social equity and for equality for all Google employees. As such, his statement is one of fairness and respect for all people, and this is exactly the position that gay people have assumed: equally include us in civil society.
Way to go, Sergey.
PROFILE Storyteller, musician, thinker, creative, and technopagan. Think of me as a hillbilly with a PhD, which is a fact. 
