Apple Among 60 Companies to File Statement with U.S. Supreme Court Backing Gay Marriage

[MacRumors]

Bloomberg reports that Apple is among 60 companies that have signed on to a filing that will be presented to the Supreme Court backing gay marriage in the United States. The court is currently weighing the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, in which voters barred gay marriage in 2008. Apple had publicly opposed Proposition 8 at the time.

"No matter how welcoming the corporate culture, it cannot overcome the societal stigma institutionalized by Proposition 8 and similar laws," the companies will argue, according to a copy of the brief provided by Orrick Herrington Sutcliffe LLP, the law firm representing the group.

The filing is part of an effort to convince the court that gay marriage has wide public support. Dozens of Republicans, including former presidential candidate and Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, are also planning to file a brief backing such unions.

Only nine states explicitly permit same-sex marriage, and the companies signing the filing argue that workplace morale and recruiting are harmed in the other 41 states. Among the companies joining Apple on the filing are Intel, Facebook, Nike, Oracle, and Qualcomm. The Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments on the Proposition 8 case and a second one addressing the federal Defense of Marriage Act in late March.

Note: Due to the controversial nature of this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts. Please keep the discussion civil or the discussion thread will be closed.

Article Link: Apple Among 60 Companies to File Statement with U.S. Supreme Court Backing Gay Marriage

[Blackberryroid]

Their CEO is gay, what would you expect?

[Peace]

Well this is a big DUH.

Considering Tim Cook is gay.

[Richardgm]

Originally Posted by Blackberryroid

Their CEO is gay, what would you expect?

I'm not sure if he is publicly out, however.

[johncrab]

Thank you, apple!

[locoboi187]

I always questioned Tim Cook.

JUST MESSING

[yoak]

I think this is great. Anyone should be able to marry any one they want as long as its mutual, no matter what gender they are

[Moccasin]

Originally Posted by Peace

Well this is a big DUH.

Considering Tim Cook is gay.

I would like to think that it would have happened in any case. Unless the implication is that the other 59 companies did it because of a vested interest rather than just believing it to be the right thing to do.

[KieranDotW]

Love the choice of image. And for everyone who says Apple doesn't give back to the community... It may not be Bill/Melinda Gates Foundation level but this and their work for the fight against AIDS make me proud to be a customer and loyal fan

[Peace]

Originally Posted by Moccasin

I would like to think that it would have happened in any case. Unless the implication is that the other 59 companies did it because of a vested interest rather than just believing it to be the right thing to do.

True but one would think a CEO who is gay wouldn't be against it.

[nfl46]

Haha. I was waiting on someone to say Tim's name. I bet most instantly thought of him when they read this. Oh well. Not our business.

[OrangeSVTguy]

Way to bring back the old rainbow apple.

[Moccasin]

Originally Posted by Peace

True but one would think a CEO who is gay wouldn't be against it.

Well not all gays are necessarily in favour of gay marriage. Certainly there have been gays in the UK who were at most indifferent to the concept in the recent debate.

[ouimetnick]

Originally Posted by Blackberryroid

Their CEO is gay, what would you expect?

True, but I'm sure straight CEOs back gay marriage. No need to be gay to support gays

[lunarworks]

Originally Posted by Blackberryroid

Their CEO is gay, what would you expect?

If you read the article, you'd see that Apple's been involved since 2008, well before Tim Cook took over the show.

[Moccasin]

Originally Posted by Blackberryroid

Their CEO is gay, what would you expect?

This was a recent debate in the UK. Overwhelming majority of the public were either in favour or couldn't see the issue. You don't have to be gay to support gay marriage.

[sbrhwkp3]

Good for Apple. Consenting adults should be able to do what they want. I'm sure the Supreme Court will make the right decision on this.

Marriage shouldn't be a government issue at all in the first place, anyways.

[cmChimera]

Good job Apple.

[ELMNT925]

Well done apple.

[el-John-o]

I commend Apple for standing up for what they believe in. This will drive away some customers, and bring some others in. But, this is obviously not about the customers, this is about standing behind what they feel is right, which is great.

I'm sure I'll hear about it. I live in a very Conservative area (And I guess I'm somewhat conservative myself, though liberal on some issues), I'm a strong Christian and so are most of my friends. I'm a little different than they are though. Though I'm conflicted on what the scriptures tell us about social issues like Homosexuality, God intends for us to follow Him, he never intended for the government to enforce Him, not to mention our understanding of God and the Bible is flawed and has changed countless times over the last 2,000 years! It's time we back off and focus on what God has called us to do instead of trying to spend all of our time enforcing our understanding of Christian morality on people who don't feel the same way. But; anyway, point is- I'm sure I'm going to hear all kinds of folks demanding we boycott Apple. We still buy gasoline made from oil owned by radicals in the middle easy don't we?

Anyway, that's my mini-rant. Kudos to Apple, whatever side they take, I'm glade they stand up for what they think is right, and aren't afraid of upsetting a few folks and being a little politically incorrect.

[/V\acpower]

Originally Posted by sbrhwkp3

Marriage shouldn't be a government issue at all in the first place, anyways.

Well, I still prefer mariage to be a government issue than a religious one.

[gusnyc]

That is absolutely fantastic.

It is time to stop making this an issue.

[Chris Blount]

Originally Posted by yoak

I think this is great. Anyone should be able to marry any one they want as long as its mutual, no matter what gender they are

So since we are breaking this barrier, I can marry my dog now right?

[ArtOfWarfare]

Government shouldn't have anything to do with marriage in the first place - the entire thing is a religious concept and so having the government say it is or isn't allowed is like having the government approve and disapprove of specific religions (which is explicitly non-constitutional.)

[camnchar]

This makes me proud to support Apple products.