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(Olympia, Washington) Microsoft, Washington
state's biggest employer, is accused of bowing to a conservative Christian group
and pulling its support for an LGBT civil rights bill, ensuring its defeat.
The legislation, which gay rights groups had
fought for nearly 30 years to achieve, fell by only one vote yesterday in the
state Senate. (story)
Microsoft, one of the first employers in
Washington to write LGBT equality into its company policy, and a longtime
advocate of the civil rights bill, withdrew its support this year. LGBT
activists say the move followed a meeting between the company and the leader of
an evangelical church located a stone's throw from Microsoft's Redmond headquarters.
A Microsoft spokesperson acknowledges that the
company withdrew its support for the rights bill but denies any connection to
opposition from the Rev. Ken Hutcherson despite admitting to a series of
meetings with the controversial pastor.
"Our government affairs team made a decision before this legislative
session that we would focus our energy on a limited number of issues that are
directly related to our business," Mark Murray told the New York
Times.
But, the sponsor of the rights bill, LGBT
community activists and Hutcherson himself dispute Murray's account.
Hutcherson in an interview with the Times said he
met with Microsoft officials before the company dropped its endorsement and
prior to the beginning of the legislative session to warn the computer giant
that he would organize a national boycott of Microsoft if it did not withdraw its support of the bill.
Hutcherson has organized a number of anti-gay
rallies including one in Washington, D.C..
Rep. Ed Murray (D-Seattle), the bill's sponsor,
also indicated that Microsoft's decision to withdraw its support of the measure
appears to be tied to the company's meetings with Hutcherson.
Murray told the Seattle Times that a Microsoft lobbyist
had told him toward the start of the legislative session that the company
would support the bill, as it had in the past, and that it would send a letter of support.
The letter never came, Murray said.
The full effect of the Microsoft decision to
remain neutral may never be known, said Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown
(D-Spokane) adding, "It was the wrong signal at the wrong time."
The district where Microsoft is located is
represented by Sen. Luke Esser (R-Bellevue) who said he was going to vote against the bill
anyway. But, he said, having the largest employer in his district come out neutral on
the issue "strengthened the case for the no vote I was already going to
cast."
Earlier this week two other conservative
Christian groups announced they were ending a boycott of another giant
corporation that had been called over the firm's support of gay issues. (story)
The American Family Association and Focus on the
Family claimed to have brought Proctor & Gamble to its knees. The
boycott began when the Cincinnati-based P&G announced its support for the
repeal of a city Charter amendment that barred passage of any gay-positive
legislation.
The two groups also were angered at the consumer
products firms commercial support for TV shows such as ill & Grace and Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy.
©365Gay.com 2005
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