Corporate Donations Fuel Washington's Gay Marriage Fight

Supporters of same-sex marriage in Washington State have a new powerful ally: corporate America.

If there was any question about which side of the gay marriage argument Microsoft Corp. is on, it was answered June 30 when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates each donated $100,000 to the campaign supporting same-sex marriage.

"It's going to make a tremendous difference," said Zach Silk, campaign manager for Washington United for Marriage. "It's very important for us to have that broad support from business leaders and companies themselves."

In February, Gov. Chris Gregoire (D-WA) signed into law a bill passed by the Legislature to allow same-sex marriage in the state. The law was supposed to take effect June 7, but was put on hold when gay marriage opponents turned in more than 240,000 signatures, far more than the minimum of 120,577 valid voter signatures required to certify Referendum 74 for the ballot. In the November general election the voters of Washington will have the opportunity to "approve" or "reject" the legislation. A vote to "approve" Referendum 74 is a vote to keep the state's same-sex marriage law in place.

Microsoft has a strict policy in place that the company doesn't comment on political contributions made by employees -- including the CEO. But Microsoft spokesman Jeff Reading did issue a statement saying the company's support of same-sex marriage has been clear for months.

In January, when the House and Senate were debating the marriage equality bill, the company publicly supported the measure that ultimately was passed by the Legislature. In an official company blog post, Microsoft wrote that, "Passing this bill would be good for our business and good for the state's economy."

In Washington state, the Williams Institute estimates that marriage for same-sex couples could add $88 million to the economy.

"When we announced our support for the bill, we understood the very real possibility that it would be challenged at the ballot," Reading told the Associated Press in a July 2 interview.

In anticipation that Washington United for Marriage would have to campaign to uphold the law, Microsoft donated $10,000 to them. Reading said the contribution to the campaign was Microsoft "supporting marriage equality legislation through one last step in the process."

Microsoft officials have said the company's greatest asset is a "talented workforce as diverse as our customers." Without marriage equality, Microsoft wrote in a January 19 company blog post, "Washington employers are at a disadvantage if we cannot offer a similar, equitable and inclusive environment to our talented employees, our top recruits and their families."

And that's not just lip service, either; in 1989, Microsoft was among the first companies to expand its nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation. Extending insurance and other benefits to same-sex domestic partners followed in 1993, and in 2005 the corporation added gender identity and expression to its anti-discrimination policies. In 2006, Microsoft extended health coverage benefits to partially cover transgender surgery.

Microsoft Among Several Prominent Companies To Support Marriage Equality

Microsoft Corp. is just one of several prominent Pacific Northwest businesses that have thrown their support -- and dollars -- behind same-sex marriage. Others include Starbucks Corp., Boeing, Vulcan and Nike Inc.

When Washington United for Marriage announced its campaign for marriage equality in November 2011, corporations began to come out for gay marriage. Top gifts to the campaign include $44,936 from Amazon retiree Jennifer Cast, $50,000 from SCAFCO president Larry Stone, and $10,000 from Justin Voskuhl of Facebook.

Big business isn't the only one showing its support for marriage equality in Washington State. According to Washington United for Marriage, hundreds of small businesses have joined Washington Businesses for Marriage Equality, a coalition of small businesses who have endorsed the campaign to Approve Referendum 74.

Seattle-based cupcake shop, Cupcake Royale, is one of those businesses. Owner Jody Hall designed a special cupcake called "The Gay" for the campaign, and raised $7,000 from its sales in June. Due to her success selling The Gay cupcake last month, Hall was asked to set up a political action committee for her fundraising.

On July 12, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce weighed in on the issue of same-sex marriage by endorsing Referendum 74 -- along with Downtown Seattle Association, Greater Seattle Business Association, and Main Street Alliance of Washington, Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, and the Portland Area Business Association.

The real reason given by chamber representatives was one of dollars and cents; they felt legalization of same-sex marriage in Washington State would help in recruiting new business.

"There is a clear business case for supporting equal access to civil marriage rights," George Allen, the chamber's vice president for government relations, said in a written statement. "Marriage equality allows companies to streamline benefit administration, improves our members' ability to recruit and retain the best talent, and helps our state's bottom line."

Zach Silk, campaign manager for Washington United for Marriage, reacted to the Chamber's endorsement, saying, "It's very important for people to realize that defending the new marriage law and approving Referendum 74 is not only good for all Washington families, it's good for business, too."

The Chamber's position gives Referendum 74 support from business, labor and Democratic groups that frequently find themselves adversaries on other issues.

According to the most recent numbers with the Public Disclosure Commission, Washington United for Marriage has raised more than $2 million. Preserve Marriage Washington, the group representing those who oppose the same-sex marriage law, has raised a modest $135,000

Lennon Bronsema, financial director for Washington United for Marriage, warns that the money race is expected to heat up significantly in the coming months. And although marriage equality supporters have big business in their corner, Bronsema cautioned, "This race will be close, and our opponents will have access to virtually unlimited funds from the Radical right."

No state has ever voted for marriage equality.

Gay marriage is legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C. Maryland legalized gay marriage this year as well, but that state is also poised to have a public vote this fall. In Maine, voters will decide on an initiative to approve same-sex marriage three years after a referendum overturned a law passed by the Maine Legislature. And in Minnesota, voters will decide whether or not to pass a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage there.