Google Joins Frank Ocean, Comes Out in Support of Gay Marriage

Impact

Google has literally jumped on the LGBT bandwagon, announcing – at the Global LGBT Workplace Summit 2012, in London – that it will start a global campaign in support of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, according to On Top magazine.  

The campaign launched yesterday in Poland and Singapore, and Google intends to expand it to every country where Google has offices – even if it’s in territories highly hostile to gays and lesbians.

Google executive Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe said the company wants its LGBT employees around the world to have the same level of acceptance “inside and outside the office.” He acknowledged, though, that the project it’s “an ambitious piece of work.”  

The executive added that places around the world that aspire to be global business centers must also advance an agenda of tolerance, citing Singapore – one of the company’s most important global markets – as an example of a place where conservative traditions can clash with Google’s culture of openness, acceptance and inclusion.

The tech giant is joining the likes of President Barack Obama, Jay-Z, Anderson Cooper, and Frank Ocean – among others – who have either publicly supported LGBT rights or disclosed their sexual orientation in order to set an example of tolerance and acceptance. Google has also been preceded by companies such as JC Penney and Nabisco which have publicly supported LGBT rights through marketing and advertising campaigns. In the tech sector, Facebook has made changes to its "timeline" to allow LGBT couples to display their relationship status.