Apple and HP became the first two tech giants on Wednesday to publicly support the US Supreme Court’s decision to shoot down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
In a statement released by the Cupertino, California firm, it is clearly stated:
“Apple strongly supports marriage equality and we consider it a civil rights issue. We applaud the Supreme Court for its decisions today.”
HP then jumped in with the following note:
“HP has more than 30 years of partnership with and participation in pride events, and works throughout the year to build and strengthen HP as an organization that values all employees, customers and communities.”
According to Michael Thacker, the global communications chair for HP’s Pride Employee Resource Group:
“Our sponsorship at San Francisco Pride this year is a great example of how HP is committed to diversity and to creating a flexible, inclusive environment for everyone inside and outside of the company.”
Apple has long been a supporter of full gay rights. In fact, Apple employees who are gay receive full health, retirement, and various other benefits for their same-sex partners.
You may recall that Apple publicly gave money to the “No on Prop 8” campaign in 2008. After Proposition 8 passed, Apple expressed its disappointment with the bill’s approval.
While not as outward in their public acceptance as Apple and HP, other companies did issue statements in support of the decision. Other company’s celebrating the defeat of DOMA include Facebook-owned Instagram and Google. The former is currently surrounding its web search box with a rainbow when users search for the terms “gay,” “lesbian,” “transgender,” or “bisexual.”
Earlier in the year Cisco, Facebook, Intel, Qualcomm, and various other tech companies filed an amicus brief against the Defense of Marriage Act.
Are you surprised that so many tech companies in Silicon Valley have decided to outwardly share their support for marriage equality?
