Apple joins Facebook, others, in support of same-sex marriage

Apple is joining more than sixty companies, including Facebook and Intel, in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Proposition 8, a California law that prohibits same-sex marriage by defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. According to Bloomberg, the group that Apple is joining argues that the California ban, along with those in effect in 41 other states, negatively impacts both company morale and recruiting.

“No matter how welcoming the corporate culture, it cannot overcome the societal stigma institutionalized by Proposition 8 and similar laws,” the companies will argue, according to a copy of the brief provided by Orrick Herrington Sutcliffe LLP, the law firm representing the group.

This filing is one of many recent actions by this group and others designed to sway judicial opinion in favor of gay marriage. As for Apple in particular, they have a history of supporting this cause. When Proposition 8 was on the ballot in 2008, Apple issued a statement in support of same-sex marriage, asking voters to reject the measure. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on March 26, with a decision expected in June of this year.

Source: Bloomberg