Big Businesss Come Together to Support Gay Marriage

by Christopher Freeburn | January 30, 2013 12:02 pm

[1]Same-sex marriage is getting a big boost from corporate America[2].

A coalition of Fortune 500 companies is working to promote the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prevents federal recognition of same-sex marriage. The group is allied with the gay and lesbian rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign, Bloomberg notes.

Democratic members of the U.S. Senate are expected to introduce two bills to repeal DOMA this year, though neither is likely to reach the more conservative U.S. House of Representatives, where they would face almost certain defeat.

Gay marriage is legal in a small number of U.S. states, and received a strong boost last November when it was approved by voters in Maryland, Maine and Washington[3].

The corporate coalition includes:

• Aetna (NYSE:AET[4])
• A/X Armani Exchange
• Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:BIIB[5])
• Marriott International (NYSE:MAR[6])
• Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY[7])
• Diageo (NYSE:DEO[8])
• eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY[9])
• Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA[10])
• Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group
• Replacements Ltd.
• Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
• Thomson Reuters (NYSE:TRI[11])
• Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF[12])

Source URL: http://investorplace.com/2013/01/big-businesss-come-together-to-support-gay-marriage/
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