Seattle Pride is dropping Amazon as a sponsor because of the company’s alleged contributions to politicians who voted against the Equality Act.
“We are saddened to learn about Amazon’s support of anti-LGBTQIA+ politicians,” the group said Tuesday, naming a report that said during the 2020 election cycle, the company gave about half a million dollars to politicians who voted against the Equality Act. (RELATED: Amazon Admits It Won’t Sell Books ‘That Frame LGBTQ+ Identity As A Mental Illness’)
Amazon dropped as Seattle Pride sponsors because of donations to politicians who voted against Equality Act https://t.co/OM9EJe4aGK
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) March 24, 2022
“We simply cannot partner with any organization actively harming our community through the support of discriminatory laws and politics,” Seattle Pride said.
“Pride cannot be bought by corporate partners,” the organization added. “It must be earned.”
An Amazon spokeswoman told New York Daily News on Thursday that “the rights of LGBTQ+ people must be protected.”
“We stand together with the LGBTQ+ community, were early and strong supporters of marriage equality, and are working at the U.S. federal and state level on legislation, including supporting passage of the Equality Act,” the spokesperson also said. She told New York Daily News that Amazon has received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Corporate Equality Index.
The House of Representatives passed the Equality Act in February 2021 in a 224-206 vote. It’s currently pending in the Senate. The Equality Act, or HR 5, would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act by preventing “discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.”
The act would also mandate that individuals cannot be denied access to the locker room of their choice.
“An individual shall not be denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity,” according to the bill’s text.