Microsoft
reverses stance on gay rights measure

After Microsoft Corp. was criticized for quietly dropping support for a Washington State gay rights bill, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told employees Friday that management would publicly back such legislation in the future. Ballmer's commitment came two weeks after activists accused the company of caving to pressure from an evangelical pastor who had threatened to launch a nationwide boycott of the software company for supporting the antidiscrimination measure. "After looking at the question from all sides, I've concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda," Ballmer wrote in an e-mail. In late April, Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, asked Microsoft to return a civil rights award the group had given the company four years ago. On Friday she said Microsoft should keep the honor. "Few of us have not made a misstep. This was a misstep. It was a big one. But Microsoft has done the right thing, and we would be proud to have them keep our award," Jean told the Associated Press. Ballmer said he would not discuss what prompted Microsoft to take a neutral stance this year on a bill it had actively supported in the past. Microsoft, one of the first companies to extend domestic-partner benefits to its gay employees, claimed that its decision came prior to a meeting with Ken Hutcherson, pastor of a local church who has organized rallies in Seattle and Washington, D.C., protesting same-sex marriage. Hutcherson could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. He has said he pressured Microsoft after hearing two employees testify in favor of a bill before the state legislature that would have banned discrimination against gays in housing, employment, and insurance. The bill died by a single vote in the state senate April 21. Liberal bloggers called the company a corporate coward and posted rallying cries for their own boycott of Microsoft products. Gay rights groups said they'd keep pressuring Microsoft until the company once again came out in support of the bill. Sen. Val Stevens, a Republican from Arlington, Wash., said Friday she was disappointed Microsoft had changed its stance. "This is not a good place for a company the size and magnitude of Microsoft to be [in] now," she said in a prepared statement. "I know it must be difficult for the employees who do not agree with their policy." Joe Solmonese, president of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, applauded the shift. "We are proud that Microsoft did the right thing and has come down squarely on the side of fairness for all employees," Solmonese said in a statement. "It is clear from Mr. Ballmer's statement that it is a business imperative to value a diverse workforce and support public policy that reinforces that principle." In his e-mail Friday, Ballmer said the company would continue to focus its lobbying efforts on issues that most directly affect Microsoft, such as Internet safety, intellectual property rights, free trade, and a healthy business climate. "I'm proud of Microsoft's commitment to nondiscrimination in our internal policies and benefits, but our policies can't cover the range of housing, education, financial, and similar services that our people and their partners and families need. Therefore, it's appropriate for the company to support legislation that will promote and protect diversity in the workplace." Microsoft shares rose 8 cents to $25.31 in afternoon trade on the Nasdaq Stock Market. (AP)