Companies which oppose passage of
Referendum 74, which would uphold a gay marriage law approved by
Washington state lawmakers, are keeping silent on the issue.
One such company is Breier-Scheetz
Properties, an apartment-management company which donated $20,000 in
August to Preserve Marriage Washington, the campaign working to
repeal the marriage law.
According to the Puget
Sound Business Journal, the company has refused to discuss
the issue and company representatives who answered the phone
repeatedly hung up on reporters asking.
Other companies opposed to the law have
also refused to discuss their donations, including technology company
Inrix and Seattle developer Murray Franklyn. Inrix CEO Bryan Mistele
and Murray Franklyn President George Reece each donated $5,000 to
Preserve Marriage Washington.
Louise Chernin, president and CEO of
the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), which supports gay
nuptials, said that some businesses opposed to Referendum 74 might be
keeping quiet out of concern about a backlash.
“They have to fear being a business
that represents values that are not embraced by the majority of the
population in Washington,” said Chernin. “Do they really want to
be seen as not supporting equality and stable family life? I think
that would not be a smart thing to do.”
Opponents of marriage equality have
launched national boycotts against three companies which have
endorsed such unions: General
Mills, T-Mobile
and Starbucks.