Facebook Makes $10,000 Donation to Anti-Gay-Marriage Politician

In a considerably controversial move, it has been revealed that Facebook has donated $10,000 to Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes’ re-election campaign.

Sean Reyes, an American politician who has openly spoken out against same-sex marriage, not only disagrees with the LGBT community’s right to equal marriage – He is actively against it, saying he will “spend whatever it takes” to fight against same-sex marriage. He has even gone so far as to hire attorney Monte Stewart, founder of anti-equal marriage legal group Marriage Law Foundation to attempt to overturn a Utah ban on equal marriage.

Facebook, who made the donation in May, have defended their support of this candidate in a letter to The Huffington Post: “Facebook has a strong record on LGBT issues and that will not change, but we make decisions about which candidates to support based on the entire portfolio of issues important to our business, not just one…”

Now although it can be prudent to see both sides of the argument, the question has to be asked—why Sean Reyes? His aggressive stance on gay marriage not only condemns us, but actively fights against our right to equality.

In answer, Facebook has declared that they do not necessarily support Reyes position on gay marriage, stating: “A contribution to a candidate does not mean that we agree with every policy or position that candidate takes. We made this donation for the same reason we’ve donated to Attorneys General on the opposite side of this issue—because they are committed to fostering innovation and an open Internet.”

So it can be understood that Facebook is simply supporting an individual that is fighting for a cause that will benefit them as a company—an open Internet platform. They cannot, however, ensure that their donation is spent in their best interest. With Sean Reyes admitting he does not “yet know the price tag” of his fight against same-sex marriage, he openly declares that, “We’re willing to spend whatever it takes to protect the laws and the will of the people.”