Amazon.com president and founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie have said they will donate $2.5 million to help pass a referendum legalizing same-sex marriage in Washington state.
The donation would make the couple among the largest backers of gay marriage efforts in the country, according to The New York Times.
The Times reported that the contribution came in response to an e-mail from an early Amazon employee who now runs fundraising for the referendum campaign.
It's not the first time tech titans have weighed in on the Washington marriage debate. Bill Gates and current Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer have both given $100,000 to the campaign to pass the referendum.
The move also comes amid simmering controversy over Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy's remarks that he supports "the biblical definition of the family unit." Those comments led some gay-marriage advocates to call for a boycott of the restaurant chain known for its chicken sandwiches.
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.
Leave A Comment