Google opposes anti-gay marriage measure
Google has taken a public stand against Proposition 8, an anti-gay marriage measure on the November ballot in California.
Co-founder Sergey Brin, who made the announcement in a blog Friday afternoon, acknowledged that it is unusual for his company to take stands on issues outside the tech realm. The company "especially" avoids taking stands on social issues, he said, because of the diversity of its workforce.
However, Brin said, "it is the chilling and discriminatory effect of the proposition on many of our employees that brings Google to publicly oppose Proposition 8."
"We should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love," he said.
Brin did not mention whether Google will do anything else to oppose the measure, other than taking a stand.
The official site opposing the proposition includes a long list of backers. No companies are listed there. However, on Thursday, Levi Strauss & Co. and PG&E became co-chairs of the No On Prop 8 Equality Business Council. And in July, PG&E donated $250,000 to the campaign.
Natalie Weinstein is an associate editor who works out of Austin, Texas. She spent a decade as a reporter and editor in the newspaper industry before joining the CNET News staff in 2000. E-mail Natalie. 
There's no better way to anger at least half your customer base on any given issue than to take a stand on one. There's no better way to give your competition ammunition than to meddle in politics and political affairs. Yahoo and Microsoft can now say publicly that they do not take political stands, and that they accept everyone.
Just because folks disagree with Google's statement does not make them "bigots", and just because folks agree with the issue does not make them "marriage-cheapening". To a corporation, a customer is a customer. Google (like any other publicly-traded company) has one duty first and foremost: to create and promote their products as best they can. Anything that detracts from that is irresponsible.
/P
Yes, there are many types of love. Love for icecream, computers, friends, family, and partners. In this particular context love is for two partners who wish to form a deep relationship over their lives.
Your ignorant narrow minded argument was made in the 1950's when it was illegal for whites to marry blacks. When those laws were repealed the moon did not turn to blood, the U.S. was not struck with plagues, nor did the heavens open and God himself thrust the North American Continent into the ocean.
The judicial bench is no place to make laws. I have no problems with legalized gay marriage by a secular state, but I do have problems with government officials who think they can simply make laws without popular consent or even permission.
The US Constitution has no amendment or section defining marriage.
Personally, and IMHO, government should be out of the marriage business entirely. At all levels. This way the issue would resolve itself.
But this is the exception; Sergey said it perfectly. I hope more companies in general stand up to this injustice. Especially when this issue affects at least one of their employees. This gives me hope for America! GO GOOGLE!
It's amazing to me how people fall back on what "God says". People have done horrible things in the name of gods since even before the Crusades. I can't believe how narrow minded individuals, or even the masses, can be. We as a people should rely on ourselves, do what is right for the common good of us all.
Neither the government, nor any church, should interfere with peoples lives when it comes to marriage. Marriage is a unity of people who love each other. It doesn't matter if it's a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, or a man and a man. The impact of people in love, celebrating life together is a positive one, unlike the impact of those others who would rather have them live their lives differently.
I grew up in the Bay Area, I'm not homosexual. But as a human being, I was shocked how homosexuals were treated up until a certain point in our recent history. People should be celebrated for their difference, their individuality, not beaten or killed because of their choice of lifestyle. These are a large group of individuals that prefer the company of another of their own gender over an opposite one, they are not criminals or rapists or killers. They are people that live their lives each day just like any other person.
If the shoe was on the other foot, and "gay" marriage was the norm, despite what any law states or deity supposedly states, wouldn't the heterosexual marriage supporters feel the same way that homosexual marriage supporters feel now? Or better yet, if those that worship "God" were forced to not worship "God", or not given the right to do so, is this fair?
This is the 21st Century, and everyone needs to realize that the churches are not always right, how many hundreds of years did it take for them to admit that the world was round and that the Earth was not the center of the universe? It could be pointed out that it was man that made those mistakes, not "God", but was it not man that wrote the Bible, translated from God's word, but still written by man?
Marriage is not wrong. It is not right. "Gay Marriage" is not wrong. It's not right. It's not for me to decide for someone else how to live their lives. It's for the individuals that want to make that commitment to decide. Neither of these two ideas harm anyone but those that are afraid of what they've been taught to be afraid of.
Be reasonable, animals and inanimate objects??? One thing does not mean it will continue down that path (slippery slope)... Unless of course you think it does, which means we should revoke interracial marriages, because they obviously lead to this movement for gay rights, which will ultimately lead to the marriage of a man and his sheep.... right? did I hit the nail on the head?
Your statement was nothing but a logical fallacy... but paper beats rock and God beats logic, right?
Interracial marriages have nothing to do with the issue of procreation. Merelogic gave examples of things that can't procreate and therefore should not get married... (like gay marriage). Your post is the fallacy, unless you want to believe marriage is based on a sole reason of love, but then, most people arguing under the original post, including you, wouldn't believe in "love" because there's no way to prove that it isn't just a "product of the human imagination."
@ lerianis
Wow, you want to refute a possible objective truth and give exceptions?
@ imrightyourwrong
You'd have to prove that love exists and that homosexuality is not a mental choice but a pure genetic disorder to prove your points. Why prove the latter? Because otherwise, homosexuality can be influenced on others, which could then have many arguments for how it "hurts" certain things, such as the continuity of a procreating society. It comes down to the same reasons we have obscentiy laws.
Everyone likes to make the point that opposing gay marriage is attacking civili liberties. Give homosexuals the rights they deserve as humans, that's fine, but allowing them to be married is most certainly redefining a widely accepted and historical function of society with additional variables, that can, if homosexuality is not entirely a genetic disorder, harm the common good of our society - to continue to exist... unless of course you believe in no true evil or good, in which case, even killing wouldn't be "evil."
By what you stated old people shouldn't be married because they can't produce children anymore and any straight couple that doesn't have kids can't get married either.
Stop refering to your fictional God, it has no basis in fact and can not be used as an argument. All people deserve equal rights.
Show you're straight, boycott Google for their anti-social views.
Google's views are not anti-social, in fact, they are very much social.
Many people had similar feelings and views regarding the Civil Rights Movement, and Women's Rights. We're all people. Some of the most powerful people in the world are not white, some of them are women, some of them are homosexual. Get over yourselves and accept groups of people for who they are. Individuals, that's a whole different subject.
I can't support that uninstalling there tool bar now!
People should not be discriminated against for any reason but to me this is like being a medical doctor. Not everyone can become one. Only highly trained people who have gone to years of schooling can be practice. Marriage is the same. That doesn't take anything away from people who aren't doctors it just means we do different things for a living.
The word marriage never appears in the bible. Jesus never performes a marrage.
And it is the Christian right that has defined the word to mean between a man and a woman. Dictionaries merely say the joining or union between two people.
http://is.gd/3e0q
Or course today you won't find marriage defined as it was written previously. It's been altered to reflect "persons" generically due to minority tolerance. Check your house dictionaries and they'll read: The state of, or relation between, a man and woman who have become husband and wife. Let me know what you find.
1a) The state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. 1b) The state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage.
2) An act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected, especially the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities.
3) An intimate or close union.
The people saying that the Bible says nothing about marriage have obviously never even read the Scripture. Try Genesis 2:24 for starters. Everybody knows that the Bible condemns homosexuality though.
So I think it's a given that if gay people make baby Jesus cry, he'd cry just as hard at gay people getting married.
However, I don't give a d*** what the Bible says. It was written by mortals, just as any law that contradicts it is. If there is a God, He, not us, will judge homosexuals when the time comes.
Thanks for standing up against those that would deny basic rights to people.
Folks, If you boycott Google, you'll have to boycott ATT, PGE, Levi Strauss, Wells Fargo and there will be many more companies before this is over.
"Marriage is between a man and woman to create families."
That rather depends on your definition of family. If you mean children, many straight couples choose not to have children or can't. Some adopt.
"People should not be discriminated against for any reason but to me this is like being a medical doctor. Not everyone can become one."
There is a big difference between becoming a doctor and getting married. First, what doctors do by practicing medicine has real effect on peoples like. Doctors who don't know what they're doing can kill people.
"People should not be discriminated against for any reason but to me this is like being a medical doctor. Not everyone can become one."
No it's not. There is no school for marriage and experience is not prerequisite. There is no shortage of people getting married in their late teens or early twenties. I personally know two couples who got married before they left high school.
@LabakTheOnslaught which god? There are a many "laws" put down by various groups interpretation of god, and many are contradict. The bible says a man can sell his wife and children into slavery. Be careful with that gods law talk, you may get a lot more than bargained for.
"No homosexual marriage. It's against Darwin's Law!"
How so?
I didn't know CNet had so many bigots on their boards.
Defined: A bigot is a person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own. That's the pot calling the kettle black.
You are right people should not be discriminated against for any reason and everyone is entitled to their opinion. It's just interesting when the opinion is not your own, the name calling begins. So unfortunate we all can't agree to disagree and respect another's position. That's true tolerance.
Neither did I. But I am not surprised. Go Google!
"The bible says a man can sell his wife and children into slavery. "
Now THIS is a good idea! Let's vote on it!
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Homosexuality is not about religon, it's about common sense.Even Darwin recognized homosexials add nothing to the gene pool, are thus not the fittest, and will not survive unless they feed off heterosexual society. There is no reason to inject religion into the debate anymore.
Pedophiles, practioners of bestiality and necrophilia all fell "love" for the objects of their affection, but they don't ask for marrige rights. Homosexuals consenting adults??? That means nothing to a logical person. Consenting adults agree to rob banks, but that does not justify them.
Google, ATT, PGE, Levi Strauss, Wells Fargo are bad corporate citizens. They do not deserve straight dollars for their anti-socail agenda.
It has a whole lot to do with religion.
Pedophilia, Bestiality, Necrophilia, Bank Robbers = homosexuals? You need to check you own closet to deal with some personal issues. I can't wait for this election to arrive. Get used to disappointment.
The bank's not consenting to being robbed. Your analogy doesn't hold up.
Prostitution, armed robbery, murder, and every kind of depravity known to man have lasted through the ages as well. That doon't make them right.
Gay marriage is an abomination.
Every single state that has had gay marriage on the ballot has voted AGAINST it.
The American people have spoken.
Ok... lets just look over the definitions of somethings you've mentioned
*bank robbery- larceny by threat of violence on a bank
*gay marriage- the state of being a same sex married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
*prostitution- offering sexual intercourse for pay
WHICH ONE OF THESE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS???
And about the states voting against marriage, I believe we can agree that in the past the united states had social views we now look down upon.... I am just saddened by how so many people can ignore progress and refuse forward thinking(the concept of perpetuity)...
and for the bigot who is going to say gay marriage with lead to animal and inanimate object marriage... seriously??? google(or askjeeves if you're boycotting google) "slippery slope logical fallacy" and get educated before you comment.
It mystifies me that the subject of gay marriages is what you choose to worry about. Instead of worrying about a life choice that all free people should be afforded without question., spend your time supporting our own Individuality,. you don't to label everything.
- by sfspurs September 27, 2008 1:50 PM PDT
- Google has taken a courageous stand against discrimination.
- Reply to this comment
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- by Penguinisto September 27, 2008 4:44 PM PDT
- There's no courage in stating a popular sentiment while residing among friends.
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Showing 1 of 5 pages (174 Comments)There was a man recently in North Korea who once risked immediate death (of both himself and his family) to do two things:
1) paint graffiti on a major bridge/overpass with a message criticizing the NoKo government, and
2) use a video camera to film the results and smuggle the resulting tape out of the country.
That is actual courage. Google is not courageous.