Free Speech, Politics, Society

Mozilla Co-Founder Brendan Eich Forced To Resign After $1000 Donation To Anti-Gay Marriage Campaign

220px-Brendan_Eich_Mozilla_Foundation_official_photoAs many on this blog know, I have long been a supporter of same-sex marriage and gay rights. However, I have qualms about a story this morning that Mozilla Chief Executive Brendan Eich has been forced to step down after a campaign by an online dating service. The campaign revealed that Eich had made a donated $1,000 in 2008 in support of California’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state before it was struck down in the federal courts. The controversy raises again the tension between free speech and corporate identity.


OkCupid_logo_2012On Monday, OkCupid sent a message to visitors suggesting that they use browsers such as Microsoft Corp’s Internet Explorer or Google Inc’s Chrome: “Mozilla’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid.”

Eich, who invented JavaScript, apologized for causing “pain” and promised to promote equality for gay and lesbian individuals at Mozilla. However, the campaign continued to call for his ouster.

We previously discussed this issue in relation to the Chick-Fil-A controversy. In this case, Eich was targeted for a small donation to the campaign in 2008. Many people oppose same-sex marriage out of deeply held religious or political views. I do not agree with them but this remains a deep divide in our country.

Eich was exercising his free speech rights in a matter of great public debate. I happen to view many current laws as discriminatory. However, the Supreme Court has yet to rule that states cannot prohibit same-sex marriage and there is no indication that Eich would refuse to comply with such a ruling if it were handed down. Indeed, there is no allegation that Eich has been in any way discriminatory toward employees or associates based on sexual orientation.

However, Mozilla Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker indicated that, if anything, it took too long to can Eich: “We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry.”

That is what concerns me. Should companies now move quickly to can officials for religious or controversial personal views? There was a time when people would be fired for supporting gay rights. What about giving money to presidential candidates like Rick Santorum who oppose gay rights generally? Notably, President Obama’s Administration spent the first few years in office defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in court. Obama himself refused to endorse same-sex marriage for years in office 00 during the year period of this donation. To this day, the Obama Administration refuses to treat discrimination against homosexuals as the same a race for the purposes of constitutional interpretation. So why is Eich not allowed to hold such personal views in making donations?

I do not question the right of all citizens to launch such a boycott and to use their market power to influence corporate policy. Clearly, many people stopped going to Chick-Fil-A in such a protest. However, I have concerns over the basis for such a campaign when there is no evidence of political or personal views having any connection to the company. Indeed, the company appears a leader in non-discriminatory practices. Where do we draw the line in such cases? What about corporate executives below the CEO or contributions to political parties or candidates viewed initial to same-sex marriage?

OkCupid-Letter

Source: Yahoo

228 thoughts on “Mozilla Co-Founder Brendan Eich Forced To Resign After $1000 Donation To Anti-Gay Marriage Campaign”

    1. Here is wikipedia’s definition of McCarthyism –
      McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. It also means “the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism.”[1]

  2. Paul Schulte,
    the only way this action by Mozilla can be compared to McCarthyism is if the government was involved. In this case, free speech was exercised by both Eich and the gay rights supporters. If people have no problem with employers having the right to hire and fire at will, then they should not be troubled by a company firing Mr. Eich for his actions. What if Mozilla claimed that they fired Eich because he was doing things that violated the owners religious beliefs, would you still take the same approach?

    1. rafflaw – McCarthyism as now used by the left includes any defamation of character. In this case, a portion of the gay community and a website put pressure on Mozilla. In this state you have to have cause to fire or it is considered an unlawful firing. Not sure about your state. Mozilla has not raised a religious defense so I will not argue it. Their apparent defense is that Mozilla employees cannot donate to political causes, in their private capacity, that Mozilla does not agree with. Do you agree that action is legal? Or ethical? Is it not a suppression of free speech?

  3. “Your correct analogy about impeaching Obama would look more like this…”

    Does that mean a Hillary Pardon is just around the corner? Ford taught young Cheneys and Rummies and Wolfies that the price for the subversion of government would be nothing, nothing at all.

  4. CONOR FRIEDERSDORF’s essay in The Atlantic is brilliant. It is tragic that there are not more free thinkers like him in the press, which is far too suspiciously silent on matters of personal freedoms, but only all too eager to come out and help stone a Christian.

  5. Being LGBT is not a choice. However, supporting attempts to deny equal rights to citizens who are LGBT is a choice. And such support is no less wrong and worthy of exposure, shaming, and peaceful action merely because it is done in compliance with sincerely held religious or political beliefs. If any CEO today proclaimed that black people should be slaves, or that women should stay home, would anyone object to their termination of employment? If Mozilla forced him out, it did so not for his personal beliefs but for his public action and the adverse effects it was having on their business.

  6. @TheNinth

    I think OkC’s boycott is hypocritical since there site relies on JavaScript, and asking users to switch browsers in itself demonstrates no sacrifice on OkC’s part.

    —

    Eich is not the sole person behind Javascript used today, the language and its runtime is the work of many people. Eich came up with it while he was an employee at Netscape in the 1990s. It is really no different than Python or Perl, both languages and their runtimes are currently developed by 100s of people. If you took Eich out of the picture, Javascript would survive.

    Should I not drive a Ford because of Henry’s views?

  7. Nick,
    Now that more light shines on the truth…
    … Your correct analogy about impeaching Obama would look more like this

  8. “Also, I note that I see very few of the Turley regulars in this thread. Good riddance to bad rubbish.”

    NIck, looks like the civility was short-lived.

  9. So I retract my claim this was Mozilla’s business choice. I see Mr. Eich chose to leave on his own. There is a distinct difference. Sorry.

  11. > However, Mozilla Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker indicated that, if anything, it took too long to can Eich: “We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry.”

    She was speaking to the employees, IIRC. When I read this it didn’t seem necessarily that she was saying they should have fired Eich sooner. I thought it might have meant she was saying they would not have needed a firing had they engaged the employees sooner.

    That said, I am appalled at Mozilla and Baker’s actions.

    I also think that the answer to ugly speech is more speech, and that speech that demands a firing IS ugly speech and should be recognized as such.

    I grew up in an era of Skokie, I am saddened that society has come full circle (or gone nowhere) and that the bullies are still here.

    With most boycott’s we are asked to substitute some lesser product for our preferred product in the name of some social good. I think OkC’s boycott is hypocritical since there site relies on JavaScript, and asking users to switch browsers in itself demonstrates no sacrifice on OkC’s part.

    Also, I note that I see very few of the Turley regulars in this thread. Good riddance to bad rubbish.[

  12. One more thing, RC Cambell. In reviewing the Prop 8 election results by precinct, it turns out that much of the African American community voted against same sex marriage. How do you square your “punish the bigots” attitude with that? Quite the conundrum for you, eh?

  13. Racial and gender intolerance are no longer tolerated in some (most) companies

    You confuse tolerance with forced acceptance. I tolerate a lot of things I disagree with (abortion for instance) but I do not accept them. Am I not free to voice my opinion?

  14. Regarding the TRUTHREVOLT backlash, some of the comments are way out there, confirming my belief that these are militant, extremist fanatics, driven by bone-chilling hatred. Imagine if just one of these comments could be tied to a church. They would have it burnt to the ground by sundown.

    Still, we must be wary that these skirmishes are not just a distraction from the larger war, the objectives of which is total power and domination.

    If the status quo were as evil and mean as these folks, wouldn’t’ve they had us all in chains or graves long ago?

    1. The actions of Mozilla and the left smack of McCarthyism. They talk the talk, but they do not walk the walk.

  18. Nick,
    “I know you don’t agree ”
    Who’s been talking in your ear?

    I agree. We WILL find more B.S. from the Oval Office.

  19. I guess we should start asking our doctors, as we bleed to death, how they feel about such things. Of course, we could just ask about balance billing, especially if one lives in New York

  20. Max, I was using hyperbole. And although I am w/ you on your list of offenses, I don’t think impeachment is warranted. That said, I will bet after the prez leaves office we will find evidence of impeachable crimes. I would add to your list going after reporters emails and phones and the IRS. I know you don’t agree but my gut tells me that will blow up in 2016.

Comments are closed.