Microsoft goes BSC

There is a rather large controversy erupting at Microsoft. They had traditionally been very supportive of gay rights - but Microsoft, in the end, has always been about the money. They are starting to cave to the American Taliban, and some BSC's that work there.

The Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), at the forefront of corporate gay rights for decades, is coming under fire from gay rights groups, politicians and its own employees for withdrawing its support for a Washington state bill that would have barred discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, the New York Times reported in its Friday editions.

Americablog has more details here:

This isn't going to make me run out and buy a Mac. Lets put it this way, I've never given Microsoft any money. But, it's true that Apple is more progressive in politics. Republican Christian freaks don't listen to ipods. They aren't that cool

By the way.. Hello world.. I'm gay - in case you haven't figured that out yet.. and depending on who reads this, that completes my "coming out" process. Sorry if you're disappointed. Sorry I didn't tell you in person like I should have.

The thing is, the gay community is very powerful and influential. I think that segment of society has been too afraid of being seen as extremist in our response to the anti-gay agenda.

The so-called "Christians" can say gay people are evil. We cannot say Christians are evil. That does our cause no good. We are trying to win a PR war.

For instance, what is one of the first comments the new Pope makes about politics? What is the pressing matter for the new head of a billion Catholics? Is it war? Is it poverty? Is it a world health crises? No - he says I'm evil.

The issue? Spain granting same-sex marriage rights. He condemns it as "iniquitous":

iniquitous

adj : characterized by iniquity; wicked because it is believed to be a sin; "iniquitous deeds"; "he said it was sinful to wear lipstick"; "ungodly acts" [syn: sinful, ungodly]

That coming from a former Hitler youth, who said that gay people bring violence on themselves, and was/is a pedophile enabler. Quite the moral authority, eh?

So.. you know. I happen to disagree (obviously) and I think the Pope is the anti-christ. Tit-for-tat. Am I wrong for saying that? After all, that's what he says about me.

Yes.. it's probably wrong for me to say that. The minority group always has to be "bigger" than the oppressive majority. But, as black leaders showed us during the 50's and 60's - there is a limit to what we can take.

Which leads to what John at Americablog posted in summary.

Microsoft should be ashamed of itself. And we should consider this a warning. It is no longer safe in America to be gay - or liberal for that matter. We've taken our rights for granted. And now they're being taken away, and our friends are being taken away by an ever-growing climate of hostility fed by an extremist administration and their Sieg Heil friends in America's Taliban.

It's time we started fighting back, and fighting back hard. It's time we took the gloves off and stopped playing nice. You're either with us or you're against us, as our enemies like to say.

Microsoft has chosen its side.

Have you?

Where do we go from here? It's become increasingly clear that we cannot be passive. We need to destroy (rhetorically speaking) the Christian right wing. We do it through media, and we do it through standing up for ourselves. I'm not ashamed to be gay, and I will not lift a finger for a single person who has a problem with me for that. I won't passively support discrimination.

And, we change one person's mind at a time. I have never forced acceptance on anyone before, which is why I was 30 before I ever said a word about it. You just sort of take me or leave me. My family (those who know) have been exceptional. I never wanted to force anybody to even think about an icky topic, but there it is... there's nothing that can be done about it.

I will nerver force the issue with anyone, but I'm not going to hide from it either, It's just a hell of a lot harder to hate a class of people if somebody you care about is in that class. Some people, like Alan Keyes, can still hate - but that is the hardest of the hardcore.

You know - what we really want, and I say "we" as if I'm the voice for some 30 million people in this country - is for this to be a non-issue that is never given a second thought. Even 40 years after the civil rights movement, there is still hostility and racism in this country. I suspect 40 years after the gay rights movement (and same-sex marriage is legalized) there will still be homophobia in this country. The important concept is that in our heart of hearts we "know" that racism is wrong, even if we have some of it within us. The American public doesn't "know" that homophobia is wrong because so many leaders say it's okay.

Once we get to the point that we treat homophobes the same as racists, I may still feel like a minority, but at least maybe not like a despised one. I have only felt "normal" one time in my life. I went on a week long gay cruise. Nobody there judged me.

If I had my wish, every single gay man or woman in this country would suddenly turn a bright shade of lavender for just one day. You know, so gays couldn't hide. You might realize then that you literally are surrounded, but you just don't know it.