July 27, 2012 by David K. Sutton
Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos pledges $2.5 million in support of same-sex marriage in Washington
Well this makes me feel good about the years of patronage I’ve given to Amazon. Billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, has pledged $2.5 million in an effort to keep same-sex marriage legal in the state of Washington. Earlier this year Washington passed a law that legalized same-sex marriage but the law is being challenged and will be put on the ballot in November. This means the rights of a minority group will be put to a popular vote. It should be noted that same-sex marriage has failed every time it has been put to a popular vote in other states. This is why we should never put rights to a vote. Rights are not something that we decide. That’s why they are rights. Hmm, I hear Rachel Maddow’s voice in my head right now. Anyway, the $2.5 million pledge from Bezos doubles the amount of money that proponents of same-sex marriage have available to protect the rights of same-sex couples in Washington state. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s coming from a high-profile business owner.
Proponents of the effort in Washington State called it a game-changing gift that gives them a fighting chance in November.
“To get this from a straight, married couple sends a powerful message that marriage is seen as a fundamental question of fairness,” Zach Silk, the campaign manager for Washington United for Marriage, said Thursday in an interview.
Mr. Bezos, who founded Amazon.com in 1994 in Seattle and remains its president, now tops a growing list of heterosexual business executives who are replacing wealthy gay people as the some of the biggest donors to the movement behind same-sex marriage and equality for gay men and lesbians. Bill Gates and Steven A. Ballmer of Microsoft each gave $100,000 to the referendum campaign, according to its officials.
