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A veteran gay Microsoft employee asserts that a letter
is circulating within the company calling on Microsoft
chairman Bill Gates and President Steve Ballmer to clarify
the firm's position on "civil and human rights,"
RAW STORY has learned.
The letter is said to have been in preparation for
some time and is being circulated for revision. It has
been drafted in response to a feeling that the company
has not made its position clear since it became neutral
after previously supporting a gay rights bill in Washington
state. The bill failed by one vote.
"There’s a letter being drafted to Bill
Gates and Steve Ballmer asking them to clarify the company’s
position on these issues, mainly because the employees
at Microsoft have a wonderful and caring company,"
the staffer said. "However, we’re very concerned
about our family members, our lovers and partners, who
live in Washington state as well."
The letter, the staffer told RAW
STORY, relates to "diversity and how it relates
to the workforce at Microsoft and Microsoft’s
commitment to civil and human rights.”
Hundreds or more are expected to sign, though there
is no saying how many as yet, the staffer says.
"The bottom line is that employees are extremely
uncomfortable that this is even a discussion,"
the employee quipped. "That there’s even
a discussion about diversity and about supporting this
legislation. We’ve done it in the past. We’re
extremely disheartened and concerned about an apparent
retreat on longstanding positions and commitments concerning
human and civil rights."
"What we’re looking for is clarification,"
the staffer continued. "They need to let us know
what the position is."
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates told
the Seattle Times Tuesday he has gotten a great
deal of mail on the company's decision to move neutral
on a gay rights bill they had previously supported.
"Next time this one comes around, we'll see,"
he said. "We certainly have a lot of employees
who sent us mail. Next time it comes around that'll
be a major factor for us to take into consideration."
The staffer said that many employees are confident
in the company's commitment to diversity, but don't
understand why a clearer statement by top executives
has not been made. An email circulated inside the company
by Microsoft president Steve Ballmer, intended to reassure
staff that the company had not changed its position,
has not resolved gay employees concerns.
"We know what the commitment is," the staffer
added. "We’re trying to understand why there
isn’t a more unequivocal statement from Bill Gates
as to these issues."
"I work in one of the most gay-friendly companies
in the world," the staffer concluded. "And
that’s what makes it so incongruous to me."
Article originally published Apr. 26, 2005. |
