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Why I'm Boycotting Mozilla Products

Brendan Eich was appointed CEO of Mozilla this week. Normally, I don't pay attention when corporate executive roles are filled, but this one caught my attention. You see, Eich donated $1,000 in support of Prop 8 back in 2008. Since then, he has not, to my knowledge, mentioned anything new about his views on gay marriage, so it's safe to presume they are the same as they were in 2008.

Eich doesn't believe that gay people should be afforded the right to marry. I've decided I'm not comfortable using the products of the company of such a CEO. Intentional or not, his appointment sends the message: "Mozilla is against gay marriage at its highest levels." As such, I'm boycotting all Mozilla products until Eich steps down or is removed as CEO.

We are at a critical juncture in the fight for the basic rights of the LGBT community. Though there is a long way to go, one can feel the tide turning (thank goodness). This post is not to pat myself on the back for taking a relatively safe stance. Rather, it's to inform others of the situation. Only through awareness can this type of bigotry be brought to light.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, this post may seem a great departure from my normal content. It is. This stuff matters. It matters enough that I ask you, the reader, to boycott Mozilla products as long as Eich is CEO. It matters enough that I encourage you to take to the computer, the phone, or the pen to help right a wrong.

I am not gay. I have no gay family members and only a handful of gay friends. But this is not an issue of gay rights. It's an issue of human rights. And the right to marry the person of your choice must be considered a basic human right. Indeed, any right withheld from any group of people must be rallied against. It just so happens that, in this case, the issue is gay marriage.

I've been supporting gay rights too passively for too long. The time for action, from all of us, is long overdue. I hope you'll join me in taking a stand. You have to start somewhere, and now is as good a time as any.

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