Facebook has defended its decision to
donate $10,000 to the campaign of Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes,
who supports the state's ban on gay marriage.
According to Q Salt Lake,
Facebook made the contribution on May 13, 2014.
Facebook has previously endorsed
marriage equality. In April, it joined 28 other companies in filing
an amicus brief urging a federal appeals court to strike down
Virginia's restrictive marriage ban, which it recently did.
Reyes has repeatedly said it's his duty
to defend Utah's ban, which was first struck down in December, and
has asked the Supreme Court to review one of the cases.
“Facebook has a strong record on LGBT
issues and that will not change, but we make decisions about which
candidates to support based on the entire portfolio of issues
important to our business, not just one,” a spokesman for the
company told the Q
Salt Lake. “A contribution to a candidate does not mean
that we agree with every policy or position that candidate takes. We
made this donation for the same reason we've donated to Attorneys
General on the opposite side of this issue – because they are
committed to fostering innovation and an open Internet.”
When asked for specific examples of
Reyes' work that impressed Facebook, the social media giant refused
to answer.