Nat'l Org. for Marriage Slams T-Mobile's Marriage Equality Support

The nation's principal anti-gay marriage organization is urging its supporters who use T-Mobile to cancel their accounts because of the cell phone company's support for marriage equality in Washington State, On Top Magazine reported.

The National Organization for Marriage, a group that is bent on banning same-sex marriage across the country, has launched a boycott against the cell phone giant after its chief executive officer announced that it would back Referendum 74. The measure will appear on ballots in Washington State ballot this November. If approved, it would uphold a gay marriage law that the governor signed into law earlier this year.

NOM is also upset that last month is was revealed that T-Mobile donated $25,000 to Washington United for Marriage, the main statewide organization fighting to get the referendum passed.

"Our support of this issue is a reflection of our culture, how we do business, and our belief in the fair and equitable treatment of all employees," Jim Alling, interim CEO of T-Mobile USA, said in a statement.

NOM's petition against T-Mobile on ActRight.com calls for supporters to "consider canceling your contract and transferring to a different provider."

"Join us in signing this petition to let T-Mobile know that not everyone supports their efforts as a public telecom company to redefine marriage and tell our society that moms and dads are interchangeable," the petition reads.

This isn't the first time NOM has attacked corporations for their position on the issue. The organization has called for boycotts against Starbucks and General Mills as well.

NOM targeted Starbucks via a "Dump Starbucks" campaign. NOM claimed the ad would run throughout the country as well as in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, presumably areas of the world where patrons would shun a company backing something anathema to them, the Associated Press reported.

"We will not tolerate an international company attempting to force its misguided values on citizens," NOM President Brian Brown wrote in a statement.

On Top also reported that Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, claimed that Starbucks has lost billions of dollars due to the business' support for marriage equality.

Perkins made his allegations during a radio bulletin. He maintained that NOM's "Dump Starbucks" boycott was the reason behind the coffee giant's recent financial loss.

"It didn't take long for Starbucks to lose bucks over marriage," Perkins said. "In January, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said endorsing same-sex marriage would be good for business. Boy was he wrong! Siding with radical homosexuals has its price in this country. And in Starbucks' case, the cost is about ten billion dollars. That's how much the coffee giant lost in stock value since the campaign to 'Dump Starbucks' got underway."

Perkins went on to say that he "watched stocks dive from $61 to $48, for a loss of more than $10.2 billion" but as On Top notes, Perkins failed to point out that nearly four months after Starbucks announced its support for gay marriage it recorded a record high of $60.67on April 13. In August, however, the company's stocks did take ad dive but has since risen to $50.84 as of Sept. 7, which is $13.09 higher than last year.

Most analysts attribute the company's recent fortunes more to the economy than any purported boycott. (That a coffee house chain that charges premium prices might suffer in a prolonged recession is something that Perkins either hasn't grasped or that doesn't fit his agenda.)

The Religious Right's attempts to boycott pro-gay marriage companies did not scare off Expedia.com. The travel website, also based in Washington State, recently announced that it, too, backs Referendum 74, EDGE reported.

"As the world's largest online travel company, with operations in well over 30 countries, we know firsthand that the world is a diverse place," Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia's president and CEO, said in a statement released by Washington United for Marriage. "Much like our customers, clients, partners, and suppliers, our employees represent a multitude of locations, cultures and experiences."