Apr 29, 2005  |  By: RYAN LEE  | COMMENTS     

A pair of religious conservatives pounded their chests last week, claiming victory in two separate attempts to force Fortune 100 companies to abandon their gay-friendly policies.

But officials from both companies — Microsoft and Procter & Gamble — deny they caved into pressure from threatened boycotts.

On April 21, the Washington state Senate voted 25-24 to reject a non-discrimination bill that would have outlawed bias in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit and insurance based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Earlier that day, the Stranger, a weekly alternative newspaper in Seattle, reported that Microsoft stopped lobbying in support of the bill and changed its official position from supportive to “neutral” after two meetings in February between Microsoft officials and Rev. Ken Hutcherson.

Hutcherson — leader of a “mega-church” in Redmond, Wash., and a vocal critic of same-sex marriage — could not be reached for comment by press time.

But the day after the vote, he told the New York Times that Microsoft “backed off” from supporting the bill when he threatened a national boycott against the company.

“I told them I was going to give them something to be afraid of Christians about,” Hutcherson said.

But Microsoft officials, including Chair Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer, flatly denied Hutcherson played any role in Microsoft switching its position to neutral.

“We met with many people in the community, Rev. Hutcherson being one, listening to all sides of this issue, but again, our decision was not influenced by external factors,” said Tami Begasse, a Microsoft spokesperson.

The company decided to downsize its legislative priorities list prior to the legislative session starting earlier this year, Begasse said.

Exactly when Microsoft switched from being supportive of the Washington non-discrimination bill remains in dispute.

Begasse said the company decided before the 2005 legislative session that it would focus only on issues directly related to its business, such as computer privacy, education and competitiveness.

But on Feb. 1, two gay Microsoft employees testified before a state House committee in favor of the non-discrimination bill. Asked if they represented Microsoft’s official position, the employees responded by informing lawmakers that the company issued a letter of support for a similar bill in 2004, and was preparing to send another letter this year, said George Cheung, executive director of Equal Rights Washington.

“But the letter never came,” Cheung said. “It seems clear in terms of the timing that [Hutcherson] had some impact on Microsoft’s decision to withdraw its support.”

Upon watching the testimony of the two Microsoft employees, Hutcherson requested a meeting with company officials to clarify whether the workers represented Microsoft’s official position, Begasse said.

Over the course of two meetings between the conservative pastor and Microsoft officials, Hutcherson asked that the two employees who testified be fired, but Microsoft refused his demands, Begasse said.

“Rev. Hutcherson also urged Microsoft to change its position [on the non-discrimination bill] from neutral to negative, and we declined,” Begasse added. “We are disappointed people are misrepresenting those meetings.”

But Hutcherson isn’t alone in giving himself credit for coercing Microsoft to change its stance.

Reports in both the Stranger and New York Times cited anonymous gay Microsoft employees who were present during a March 29 meeting between Microsoft Senior Vice President Brad Smith and GLEAM, the company’s gay employee group. During that session, Smith allegedly cited pressure from Hutcherson as the reason behind the company’s switch.

Asked if there were any gay employees who attended the meeting who could refute the allegations from the anonymous sources, Begasse said there were and that those employees were allowed to talk with the media if they pleased.

Multiple attempts to contact GLEAM members for interviews were unsuccessful by press time.

Cheung, from Equal Rights Washington, said his group had also been unable to talk with gay Microsoft employees, and added it is possible that Hutcherson is inadvertently benefiting from Microsoft’s switch even though he may have had nothing to do with it.

But that doesn’t lessen the negative impact Microsoft’s decision had on the non-discrimination bill, Cheung said.

“What’s important to know is that Sen. Bill Finbeiner, the [Republican] minority leader who locked up all 23 members of his caucus to vote against the bill, represents Redmond, which is Microsoft’s district,” Cheung said. “So Microsoft’s decision certainly gave him extra political coverage not to support the bill.”

Cheung also criticized ...