Thomson Reuters, a worldwide media conglomerate and Fortune 500 company, has become the latest major Minnesota employer to formally come out in opposition to that state’s proposed marriage discrimination amendment. Minnesotans United for All Families, the official bipartisan campaign to defeat the amendment, is reporting that the company did so this morning in an email to employees, which read in part:
“As we’ve heard from employees, recruiters and customers, one thing has been very clear: we’re a better place when we have a rich variety of perspectives, talents, backgrounds, lifestyles and experiences in our workplace, and within the broader community from which we recruit. We believe that building a culture that thrives on diversity and inclusion and provides equal opportunities to everyone is a critical factor in our ability to serve our customers and be successful. …We believe the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, if passed, would limit our ability to recruit and retain top talent. For this reason, we do not believe that the Amendment would be good for Thomson Reuters or the business community in the state.”
Thomson Reuters joins two other Fortune 500 companies (General Mills and St. Jude Medical), over 132 businesses, 31 law firms, 106 faith communities and organizations, 24 labor unions and professional associations, 175 nonprofit organizations, 29 political organizations and parties, and tens of thousands of pro-fairness individuals and families across the state of Minnesota in saying no to this discriminatory and divisive amendment.
Note: for the record, I hope Thomson Reuters didn’t intend to use the word “lifestyle” as a reference to the LGBT community — as we’ve pointed out here at TWO, the truth is that sexual orientation and gender identity are intrinsic parts of a person’s humanity, not a “lifestyle choice.” Since the company has made the choice to stand on the right side of history in the Minnesota amendment fight, though, I’m inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.
