Apple, Google, Nike & 300 companies tell US Supreme court to legalise gay marriage

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300_companies_call_on_supreme_court_to_legalise_gay_marriageHundreds of companies, including major multinationals, have told the US Supreme Court that it should legalise same-sex marriage across the United States.

The 379 companies filed an amicus brief document with the court last week, indicating their support for marriage equality.

The justices are expected to hear arguments on the issue in late April and to make a decision by the end of June; hopefully giving gay and lesbian Americans the right to marry, no matter where they live in the US.

In the brief, the companies say that state bans on same-sex marriage are bad for business, are discriminatory and “hamper efforts to recruit and retain the most talented workforce possible in those states.”

Some of the leading companies that have backed the brief include Walt Disney, Visa, Twitter, Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, NIKE, Microsoft, Levi Strauss, Johnson & Johnson, Google, GlaxoSmithKline, Facebook, Estée Lauder, Delta Air Lines, Barclays and Apple.

They argue that the current state-by-state scenario of banning or allowing gay marriage “creates legal uncertainty and imposes unnecessary costs and administrative complexities on employers, and requires differential employer treatment of employees who are similarly situated save for the state where they reside.”

The companies add that the “inconsistent and discriminatory state laws” lead to “unnecessary confusion, tension, and diminished employee morale.”

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) commended the companies for “standing on the right side of history.”

“These employers have come together to convey to the Supreme Court that marriage equality isn’t just right, it’s good for business,” the group said.

On Friday, HRC delivered a “People’s Brief” to the court, with 207,551 signatories calling for full nationwide marriage equality. The People’s Brief has more signatories than any amicus brief ever submitted to the Supreme Court

Also on Friday, the Obama Administration, through the Department of Justice, filed a similar amicus brief asserting its belief that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right.

Gay and lesbian couples can currently marry in 37 US states and in Washington, DC.

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