I offer this diary in the same spirit as vets74's diary Dixie Chicks supported by The Gap, which offers praise for The Gap's allowing the Dixie Chicks to appear in their television commercials a mere five and a half years after the controversy.
I do not mean to disparage this effort. As the diarist correctly notes, "Small things matter." However, it seems to me that if The Gap is praiseworthy for this, then a few more words should also be said about Apple's stand against Proposition 8.
It was just over a month ago and we were strongly focused on the more pragmatic and immediate activist nature of what was going on with various matchups and ballot initiatives around the country. Much was said about Proposition 8, but I don't recall that we took pause to recognize how unusual it is for such a major company to jump into the middle of a fight (while it is still happening) and pick a controversial side. I wonder if this is why Kos decided to give away a Macbook for the contest.
Generally speaking, I'm not a very pro-corporate kind of guy and very likely not the best person to be writing this sort of thing. I just felt that it needed to be said.
Apple's statement:
No on Prop 8
October 24, 2008
Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. 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 views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.