Big news out of Minnesota: General Mills — a Minnesota-based Fortune 500 company that owns dozens of well-known brands including Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Häagen-Dazs, Pillsbury, and Green Giant — came out in official opposition to that state’s proposed marriage discrimination amendment. Ken Charles, General Mills’ vice president of global diversity and inclusion, said in a statement posted to the company’s blog:
We do not believe the proposed constitutional amendment is in the best interests of our employees or our state economy – and as a Minnesota-based company we oppose it.
We value diversity. We value inclusion. We always have … and we always will. . .
General Mills’ mission is Nourishing Lives. Not just some. But all.
Living that mission is part of who we are.
ThinkProgress notes that General Mills’ decision to go on the record about Minnesota’s amendment flies in the face of a request from the National Organization for Marriage Discrimination for corporations to “take a position of neutrality” on the issue of maliciously denying LGBT people the freedom to marry.
Minnesotans United for All Families, the coalition working to defeat Minnesota’s anti-gay amendment, launched a petition today thanking General Mills for boldly standing up for fairness and inclusion, and for valuing all families.
Equally significant in Charles’ blog post is his mention of the very public stance General Mills has taken in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. On Tuesday, Charles testified before the Senate in support of this legislation.
