The lights are on
Electronic Arts, Zynga, and Microsoft have signed on to a brief urging the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to find the law, which outlaws gay marriage, unconstitutional.
The 9th Circuit is currently hearing an appeal to an earlier decision (Golinski vs. the U.S. Office of Personal Management), which found portions of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. In the original case, Karen Golinski won a settlement awarding her employee federal health benefits to her wife. The case is being appealed by a Republican-led group called BLAG (Bi-Partisan Legal Advisory Group).
The game companies involved have signed an amicus brief (a non-binding statement that is admissible based on the court's discretion) that supports the original ruling. Electronic Arts released a statement regarding the decision on its website:
Electronic Arts has joined with dozens of leading US employers in signing an amicus brief that opposes the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and urges the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to find portions of the Act unconstitutional.
DOMA presents a number of problems for businesses like EA, as it creates regulatory, tax, and discrimination complications for employers, and that’s why we’re standing against it. The underlying lawsuit impacts all employers no matter how big or small, and no matter the industry, and we encourage other business to join these efforts.
Other major technology and entertainment companies that have signed on to the brief include Google, eBay, Viacom, and CBS.
Source: Electronic Arts
Email the author Matt Helgeson, or follow on Twitter, and Game Informer.
Wow. And the a**hole of the year award goes to...
(hint: it's not me this time...)
I hope more people and companys join for the cause awesome
Humans should do whatever they please, as long as it doesn't harm any fully developed (emerged from the womb) being. Every single person, regardless of anything (skin color, gender, sexual preferences, religion, etc.) deserve the same rights as the majority. People should not let any of these factors serve as an excuse to undermine the rights of an individual.
As far as this issue goes, I personally was sexually attracted to males much earlier than I was attracted to females. Although now that I am a bit older, as well as tied down a to a beautiful, intelligent, talented woman, I have come to the realization that some people are just naturally attracted to the same gender, myself (well, not so much anymore...) included.
At the end of the day, it should not matter who a person is attracted to, as long as they can be happy in peace. It doesn't matter whether or not the couple can reproduce, because there are many heterosexual couples out there that choose not to reproduce, including the one that I'm in.
Love is a powerful force, and those that choose to prevent others from feeling it might as well feel the wrath of the gods, sooner or later.
I'm still struggling to figure out why people would support a bill like DOMA for another reason than simple homophobia. The government can't force the churches to practise gay marriage so it's not like this has to be a big deal for the religious right. At that point it's bigotry. Fight for the love, America.
I didn't know what DOMA was before this article but when I saw EA I guessed it had to do with not providing employee benefits (I was right!). I don't blame them though, as looking into it, it does provide a lot of loopholes that could be exploited against businesses. Get your act together law makers!
Well I'm glad, because I can't take gay marriages, and couples.
Good for them.