Photo via divorceandfamilylawblog.com

Google offices support Ref. 71 favoring same-sex “marriages”

Representatives of the Google offices in Seattle and Kirkland Washington sent a letter to the editor of the Seattle-Post Intelligencer supporting Referendum 71, which would grant the same legal rights to same-sex "partners" as to married couples, reports James Tillman, LifeSiteNews.com. The letter joins a host of instances in which Google and other large, well-heeled companies have shown themselves actively opposed to the principles of the pro-life and traditional family movements.

The letter, signed by the engineering and site directors of each office, says that although Google does not "not generally take positions on social, legal or political issues that arise beyond our normal, day-to-day business," there are nevertheless "issues that are so important and so clear cut that we feel compelled to lend our voice."

"Supporting Referendum 71 is one of those issues."

This statement comes as an apparently close November 3rd vote on Referendum 71 draws near. Referendum 71, while not granting the name of marriage to same-sex partnerships, would nevertheless grant to such partnerships the same rights, obligations, and responsibilities that marriages have.

Google is not the only company to come out in favor of such partnerships, however.

Microsoft recently gave $100,000 to Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST), an organization working to pass Referendum 71. Microsoft also has a long reputation of promoting homosexuality; Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and chief executive Steve Ballmer have each also given $25,000 to WAFST.

Such numbers are typical in a race in which homosexualist groups have raised vastly more money than pro-family groups. The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission website reports that WAFST has raised nearly two million dollars, while Protect Marriage Washington and Vote Reject on R-71 have together raised less than $450,000 dollars, less than a quarter of what their opposition has raised.

Microsoft, Nike, and Boeing were also among several companies to issue a joint statement in support of Referendum 71.

Like Microsoft's support, however, Google's support of Referendum 71 is no surprise. Google has previously worked against conservatives and families in the past through the vast power it exerts over internet content.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, is infamous for censoring pro-life videos. On June 24th they pulled a video by Life Action Films, featuring a Planned Parenthood employee claiming that the graphic abortion pictures used by pro-lifers are "not real." On July 10th, they removed a video showing Planned Parenthood failing to report what would be a statutory rape under Alabama state law. There have been several other cases of such censorship.

Google also opposed Proposition 8 in California, a referendum to protect California marriages as the union of one man and one woman. Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google, wrote that "it is the chilling and discriminatory effect of the proposition on many of our employees that brings Google to publicly oppose Proposition 8."

He continued: "We hope that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8 -- we should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love."

Google has also been sued for refusing to allow pro-life advertisements on abortion that contain religious content. Google settled out of court.

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TAGS: USA Google offices Referendum 71 same-sex “marriages” traditional family

[10/31/2009]

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