Google's 'Legalise Love' campaign: love, civil unions, same-sex marriage?

By Frances Kelly

Google claims their 'Legalise Love' campaign is not about same-sex marriage.

Google's push for LGBT rights and "full equality" isn't about same-sex marriage? Yeah, that's what gay rights activists said about civil unions, too. Try telling that to Vermont.

Washington Post reports:

The Internet has been buzzing this weekend over a reported announcement by Google that it is launching a worldwide push to legalize same-sex marriage. However, the tech giant says its new "Legalize Love" campaign isn't about gay marriage at all, but rather supporting workers in countries that criminalize homosexuality.

"'Legalize Love' is a campaign to promote safer conditions for gay and lesbian people inside and outside the office in countries with anti-gay laws on the books," said a Google spokesperson in a statement.

Gay rights activists consider gender-integrated marriage laws to be "anti-gay," yet Google insists this isn't about SSM. And on the same page explaining their "Legalise Love" campaign, Google boasts: "In our Warsaw office, we hosted politician and LGBT activist Kystian Legierski for an office-wide talk and discussion lunch on the importance of civil partnership laws." We all know civil partnerships and civil unions are not what gay rights activists consider full equality. It's just a step forward in their march toward same-gender marriage.

From Google's own website:

We [Google] are proud to be recognised as a leader in LGBT inclusion efforts, but there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality. Legalise Love is our call to decriminalise homosexuality and eliminate homophobia around the world.

At Google, we encourage people to bring their whole selves to work. . . We also want our employees to have the same inclusive experience outside of the office, as they do at work, and for LGBT communities to be safe and to be accepted wherever they are.

Google also lists the Human Rights Campaign as one of their LGBT partners. HRC is very forthright about their commitment to same-sex marriage. "Love. Honor. Commitment. That's why HRC believes that same-sex couples should be able to get married."

Hey Google, we know how it goes. First comes love, then civil unions, then comes same-sex marriage in a baby carriage.

© Frances Kelly