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Opinion 
Fairness is Good Corporate Policy
There has been a lot of news lately about how large corporations are dealing with the queer community. On one hand, we have companies like Disney, Ford and Kraft finding themselves the targets of boycotts by notoriously anti-gay groups like the American Family Association. On the other hand, Zions Bank caused a stir when they pulled their support of the HRC gala, and the local branch of Comcast has angered gay customers by refusing to air here!, the new gay network.
It seems that while many of the nation’s largest and most successful companies have realized that it’s good business to support the struggle for queer equality, the local business community hasn’t quite caught on yet. What are they afraid of?
Well, it’s obvious isn’t it? They’re afraid that all the diminutive Mormon grandmothers will email each other and organize a massive boycott of their company.
Puh-leaze.
The reality, folks, is that studies by organizations like GLAAD, Commercial Closet, and dozens of other research firms not associated with the queer community have all shown that supporting queer rights has little if any negative impact on the success of corporations. Most Americans simply don’t care about hating us enough to change their plans when purchasing or consuming products.
On the other hand, many companies have discovered that by actively supporting the queer community, they gain a fiercely loyal and lucrative client or customer base. Why do you think Wells Fargo, JP Morgan/Chase, American Express and Washington Mutual will all be supporting Utah Pride this year? Who would you rather bank with, Zions Bank who pulled their sponsorship of an HRC event because they wanted to “avoid a controversial topic,” or any of the four alternatives who recognize that supporting equality is about fairness.
In a form letter sent to people contacting Zions Bank to complain about pulling their sponsorship, President Scott Anderson writes “We are disappointed with the way this story has been spun in the media. In making our decision, we were not making a judgment on same-sex marriage. We were making a judgment on whether the issue is controversial. And it is.”
“As an organization, Zions Bank does not have a position on the issue,” Anderson continued. “We do, however, strongly support equality in the workplace and strongly support (and, in fact, encourage) all employees in their participation in community groups and organizations they individually support.”
And that’s the key point, really. Labeling gay rights issues as “controversial” as an excuse to avoid supporting the community is both discriminatory and offensive. It’s not enough to simply make small placating noises about “equality in the workplace” when there is no equality in the personal lives of their queer employees. There is nothing “controversial” about standing up for equal treatment under the law, human rights, or an end to oppression.
The same argument was used in 1997 when advertisers pulled their support of “Ellen.” Eight years later, few national companies would dare pull their advertising support from a television show just because it features gay characters. Unbelievably, however, there are still companies who trot out that tired old “controversial” argument.
QSaltLake encourages our readers to tell Zions, Comcast, and all other corporate institutions which would marginalize our community that doing the right thing may be controversial, but standing by silently in the face of injustice is never a good business move.
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