Big news out of Minnesota: General Mills — a Minnesota-based Fortune 500 company that owns dozens of well-known brands including Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Häagen-Dazs, Pillsbury, and Green Giant — came out in official opposition to that state’s proposed marriage discrimination amendment. Ken Charles, General Mills’ vice president of global diversity and inclusion, said in a statement posted to the company’s blog:
We do not believe the proposed constitutional amendment is in the best interests of our employees or our state economy – and as a Minnesota-based company we oppose it.
We value diversity. We value inclusion. We always have … and we always will. . .
General Mills’ mission is Nourishing Lives. Not just some. But all.
Living that mission is part of who we are.
ThinkProgress notes that General Mills’ decision to go on the record about Minnesota’s amendment flies in the face of a request from the National Organization for Marriage Discrimination for corporations to “take a position of neutrality” on the issue of maliciously denying LGBT people the freedom to marry.
Minnesotans United for All Families, the coalition working to defeat Minnesota’s anti-gay amendment, launched a petition today thanking General Mills for boldly standing up for fairness and inclusion, and for valuing all families.
Equally significant in Charles’ blog post is his mention of the very public stance General Mills has taken in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. On Tuesday, Charles testified before the Senate in support of this legislation.
Thank you, General Mills, for standing up to the evil anti-gay agenda and doing what is right and moral! Wicked anti-gay pressure groups would rather have fine American businesses shut down and fire all their employees than support the American value of equality. Jesus never commanded us to take away the jobs of others and it certainly flies in the face of “Treat others as you want to be treated.” I look forward to more companies rejecting the immoral anti-gay agenda.
[...] activists are absolutely furious at General Mills in the wake of the company’s announcement last week that it opposes marriage discrimination in Minnesota. According to Andy Birkey at TheColu.mn, [...]
[...] Reuters joins two other Fortune 500 companies (General Mills and St. Jude Medical), over 132 businesses, 31 law firms, 106 faith communities and [...]