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Grindr president defends controversial LGBTQ marriage remarks
The president of Grindr is trying to walk back controversial same-sex marriage comments reported by the app's in-house magazine and elsewhere. "Some people think that marriage is a holy union between a man and a woman, I think so too, but that's your own business," Scott Chen wrote on Facebook yesterday. The post, originally reported by Grindr's Into magazine, had users of the app and LGBTQ+ publications like Out wondering whether he supported gay rights.
Facebook lets users 'celebrate pride' with rainbow filter
If you're a fan of the Supreme Court's ruling today that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states, Facebook has your profile-pride needs on lock. While logged into Facebook, head to facebook.com/celebratepride to superimpose a rainbow banner over your profile picture. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and plenty of other tech executives are celebrating the legalization of gay marriage today on social media: Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted, "Today marks a victory for equality, perseverance and love," and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella similarly wrote on Twitter, "A historic moment and step forward for equality in America. #LoveWins." In a speech this morning, President Barack Obama characterized the Supreme Court decision as "justice that arrives like a thunderbolt."
Mozilla CEO steps down due to political backlash
After a slew of criticism and increased scrutiny over his donations to an anti gay-marriage bill in California, Mozilla's newly appointed CEO Brendan Eich has stepped down. The company recently published a blog post that read, "Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn't live up to it." This is despite many assertions Eich has made in several interviews in the past week that he would not resign, even though multiple employees have come forward on Twitter and elsewhere asking him to leave. Popular dating site OkCupid also made its opinions clear by refusing Firefox users access to its website for a short period. In an interview with Re/Code, Mozilla Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker said that Eich's ability to lead has been compromised due to the increased scrutiny over the issue. She also told the publication that Eich's decision to resign was his own and not due to any pressure from her or the board. There is currently no leading candidate to replace Eich, though efforts to seek one are underway. Update: Eich has written a post on his blog announcing his departure.
Apple applauds Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage
In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Apple issued a statement to All Things D praising the decision. "Apple strongly supports marriage equality and we consider it a civil rights issue. We applaud the Supreme Court for its decisions today," an Apple spokesman told AllThingsD in a statement. Apple, of course, has long been a vocal supporter of gay rights. The company this past March lent its support to have California's Prop 8 deemed unconstitutional, noting in a statement provided to All Things D at the time that "Apple strongly supports marriage equality and we hope the Supreme Court will declare the law unconstitutional." Before that, Apple put its money where its mouth is, donating $100,000 back in 2008 in an effort to fight against California's Prop 8. In a statement issued at the time, Apple said: Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees' same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person's fundamental rights -- including the right to marry -- should not be affected by their sexual orientation.
Apple files statement with US Supreme Court backing gay marriage
Apple is among 60 companies filing a brief with the US Supreme Court in support of gay marriage nationwide. The iPhone maker will argue that gay marriage bans in 41 states are a detriment to workplace morale, harm employees and undermine recruiting, according to Bloomberg. The brief comes at a time when the Supreme Court will hear arguments about the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state in 2008. Apple, along with companies as diverse as Facebook, Nike, Office Depot, AIG, Barnes & Noble and more, hope its brief will spur President Barack Obama's administration to announce today that it will urge the Supreme Court to back gay marriage nationwide. The 60-strong conglomerate of companies are joined by another group of over 200 companies, led by Goldman Sachs Group, which will urge the Supreme Court to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, a law which defines marriage as a heterosexual union and bars gay couples from receiving the same federal tax breaks that heterosexual couples receive.
