Nordstrom has endorsed Referendum 74,
the Washington state ballot box question which asks voters to uphold
– or reject – a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers.
In an email to its 56,000 nationwide
employees, the Seattle-based fashion retailer noted that it has
offered partner benefits to employees since 1998.
“We feel the next step in this
journey is to now support freedom to marry, also called marriage
equity,” Blake Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom, Pete Nordstrom,
president of merchandising, and Erik Nordstrom, president of stores,
wrote in the email.
“We gave thoughtful consideration and
felt the time was right to come out in support of this civil rights
issue. It is our belief that our gay and lesbian employees are
entitled to the same rights and protections marriage provides under
the law as our other employees. We also believe supporting freedom
to marry will help us create a more attractive and inclusive
workplace for our current and prospective employees. Again – this
decision is consistent with our long-time philosophy of inclusivity and
equality for our customers and employees.”
Washington United for Marriage, the
coalition of groups working to approve Referendum 74, cheered the
news.
“We are so honored to have one of the
most iconic brands in retail across the country support freedom to
marry and is yet another Washington-based company that understand the
importance of our efforts to approve Referendum 74,” said
Zach Silk, campaign manager for the group. “Their position on
this subject aligns with their commitment to inclusivity – and at
the heart of it, freedom to marry is about equality for everyone.”