Twenty-eight companies have filed an
amicus brief urging a
federal appeals court to affirm a lower court's ruling declaring
invalid Virginia's ban on gay marriage.
A three-judge panel of the Fourth
Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond is scheduled to hear arguments
in the case next month.
“The denial of marriage rights to
same-sex couples in Virginia goes against our core values and
principles,” the companies wrote in a
50-page brief filed Friday. “As employers, we recognize the
value of diversity, and we want to do business in jurisdictions that
similarly understand the need for a society that enables all married
persons to 'live with pride in themselves and their unions,' and that
supports us in honoring all of our married employees.”
Plaintiffs in the case include Timothy
Bostic and Tony London, who have been together nearly 25 years, and
Carol Schall and Mary Townley, who are raising a 15-year-old daughter
and whose California marriage is not recognized by the state.
While Virginia Attorney General Mark
Herring has
refused to defend the state's ban in court, the clerk of the
Circuit Court of Prince William County was permitted to appeal the
case.
(Related: Clerks
defending Virginia gay marriage ban: Marriage based on procreation.)
Companies joining the brief include
Amazon, American International Group, Blu Homes, CBS Corp., eBay,
Equality NC, Facebook, 500 BC, Google, Intel Corp., Jackson Hole
Group, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group,
Levi Strauss & Co., Marriott International, Massachusetts Mutual
Life Insurance, McKinstry Co., Northrop Grumman Corp., Pfizer, Oracle
America, Qualcomm, Replacements, Starbucks, Sun Life Financial
Services, Support.com, United Therapeutics Corp., Viacom and Witeck
Communications.