(Disclosure: I fully support the unrestrained and unbridled union of same-sex couples in the eyes of both church and state.)
Brendan Eich made a small $1,000 donation in favour of Proposition 8 back in 2008. The intention of Prop 8 was to make same-sex marriage illegal in California, which was ultimately declared unconstitutional a few years later.
While people knew about this then, Brendan's recent appointment as Mozilla CEO made this character firestorm worth talking about again, apparently. Case in point, OkCupid's bold display of disapproval today:
Mozilla's own employees--and what appears to be majority of the Internet community--are in agreement. Eich should be let go.
But should he be?
Let's get a few things straight. Certainly, a donation in favor of Prop 8 meant he was against gay marriage. It's a fact and there's no way around that. But if one is against gay marriage, does it equate to rejection of gays and the LGBT community? That's the thing, it does not.
Brendan Eich's religious beliefs are clear-cut in that marriage is a sacred union and exclusive between a man and a woman. And while not all of us agree with this particular belief, I'm certain we can agree at the least that a man's beliefs should not bar him from seeking the right of gainful employment. Especially if he can perform the functions of his office.
Speaking of performance and capability, Brendan Eich designed and created the JavaScript programming language. In other words, he is a legend in the craft and easily one of the founding fathers of the Internet we all share. If that is the case, why are we treating Eich as a person not fit to lead Mozilla?
JFK's decree in 1961 stated that we must "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin."
creed: a system of Christian or other religious belief; a faith.
So far, Eich hasn't left. And I think he shouldn't. In a recent article, he was defiant:
"Mozilla has always worked according to principles of inclusiveness. It may be challenging for a CEO, but everyone in our community can have different beliefs about all sorts of things that may be in conflict. They leave them at the door when they come to work on the Mozilla mission."
How many of us can walk through the portals of profession every day and leave our beliefs at the door?
I believe same-sex couples must have the right to marry. And I completely disagree with Brendan Eich's opposition of that.
But I also believe that those who have beliefs we disagree with has equal right to get a job they've earned over a lifetime of passionate work.
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