Even more interesting news from the Stranger.
Ten of Microsoft's 11 departments signed off on the company joining an amicus brief supporting the legalization of gay marriage in Washington state. The only office not to sign off was the DC federal government affairs shop, run by an openly gay man (the guy who co-authored the Unofficial Gay Manual). Nice job, guy. Fortunately, his concerns, whatever they were, were apparently resolved, so all the departments were on board - unanimous agreement - until... You guessed it.
Microsoft's General Counsel Brad Smith, that great defender of anti-gay bigots, killed the company's support for gay rights, yet again.
At this point, it's becoming increasingly clear what and who the problem is at Microsoft. The anti-gay preacher knew EXACTLY who to put pressure on - the man who apparently runs Microsoft instead of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. A man who by most accounts is doing all he can to kill the company's progressive stances on gay rights legislation. Too bad Gates and Ballmer appear to have no balls. I'm dying to know what this Smith guy has on them.
Here's a quick excerpt from the Stranger:
Beginning in September, same-sex marriage advocates approached Microsoft and other local corporations to see if they would be willing to sign a brief arguing that the legalization of same-sex marriage would foster a tolerant image for Washington State that would in turn improve the business community's ability to recruit top-level national talent to local companies, the sources confirmed.And a brief word. Regardless of the merits of a company signing off on the gay marriage issue, we again have a situation where Microsoft's departments, all of them, have signed off on something pro-gay, and Brad Smith the general counsel kills it. There isn't just smoke here, there's fire. This man is trouble, he has an anti-gay agenda and is forcing it quite successfully down Microsoft's throat, and Gates and Ballmer couldn't care less - or perhaps they're complicit and letting Smith be the fall guy. Either way, that company stinks.
Microsoft put the request through extensive internal deliberation. Of 11 company departments that weighed in on the matter, 10 were initially receptive, with only the company's federal-government-affairs shop in D.C. objecting (according to recent news reports, former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed is a paid Microsoft lobbyist on international trade and competition issues). That objection was resolved, the sources confirmed, but in mid-December Smith vetoed the internal recommendations and decided not to sign off on the brief.
