Amazon CEO donates $ 2.5 million to support equal marriage

"Anótanos with 2.5 million" was the response from Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, Jennifer Cast, a woman who raises funds to support the legalization of marriage between same-sex couples in the state of Washington. Jennifer was one of the first employees of Amazon, is a lesbian and mother of four children. Through an email, she wrote the tycoon to request a donation for the campaign endorsement.

I want the right to marry the love of my life and allow my children and grandchildren to know that your family is recognized as a family 'real'. We need support from straight people. To be very frank, we need the help of heterosexual people with money who care about us and help us win.

Cast requested a $ 100,000 grant, an amount similar to what others have made ​​entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, who disbursed that amount each. Jennifer was one of the first few hundred employees of Amazon, so that their relationship was close to Bezos. She left the company in 2001, having not mentioned at any time its position on same-sex marriage. "We had always talked about the business. We never talked about our lives, "he said in an interview.

It is not uncommon for technology companies in the world take a stand on these kinds of issues. The clearest example is the campaign "It gets better" , designed to prevent suicide among LGBT youth. Among the companies affiliated to this project include Apple , Google, Disney, Dreamworks and Nokia. With your donation, Amazon is also placed on the list of companies supporting the rights of that community.

It is clear that, like everything, not just a romantic story. While it is commendable Bezos donation (with support doubled the amount of contributions that had to reach 5 million), also has a commercial background. A couple of years, Amazon received harsh criticism for placing LGBT-themed books as part of its catalog "adult". Beyond the struggle for rights, brands know they can not neglect the gay niche market as (if not, be asked to DC Comics ). For example, a button: Target, another major chain stores in the United States has struggled to gain currency with another campaign in favor of equal marriage.

In the end, entirely altruistic or not, the action of Bezos is remarkable. In Washington, the marriage between same-sex couples had been approved, however, the opposition gathered sufficient number of signatures to refer the decision to a referendum. The vote will take place in November.