Apple CEO Tim Cook is the most powerful (openly) gay man in America, and also the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. As such, he’s done a lot for gay rights during his interim at Apple, and now he’s doing even more, making a sizable personal donation to a gay rights campaign in his home state of Alabama, as well as Arkansas and Mississippi.
The donation is being made to Project One America, an anitiative of the Human Rights Campaign to “build acceptance for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in the states.” Campaign efforts include advertising on TV, posting flyers, and more. No one will say how much the donation is for, but the organization calls it a “substantial” one.
Here’s what the Human Rights Campaign’s president, Chad Griffin, had to say about the donation:
When Tim first learned about HRC’s Project One America – our bold, comprehensive campaign to dramatically advance equality for LGBT Americans in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi – he said, “I’m in.” Thanks to his generous personal financial investment in the program, together we will move the needle forward at the local and state level, tearing down misperceptions and providing concrete protections for those who need it most.
In 2015, we’ll continue this work with greater urgency than ever before. And thanks to the deep, personal generosity of Tim Cook, and the support of our 1.5 million members and supporters across the country, we’ll keep making progress every day.
Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet has confirmed Tim’s donation. It’s a nice little end to what has been, I think we can all agree, a fantastic year for Tim Cook, the singular CEO everyone once saw as Steve Jobs’s runner-up. He sure has set himself apart.
Source: HRC
Via: iClarified
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
24 responses to “Tim Cook makes sizable donation to help gay rights in Alabama”
So Tim Cook has complete freedom of expression to support gay rights, but not he CEO of Mozilla, who has an opposing view? Free speech is only free speech when all can express themselves.
Except one of them seeks equality and human rights for everyone, whilst the other inventivates discrimination and in lots of cases taking away other people’s rights.
Both should have equal rights of expression, independently from their believes. Now, canceling “The Interview” is getting our liberty of expression F*&*cked in the a$$.
You comments exemplify the non-equal speech phenomenon that typifies the left. It’s OK for homosexuals to give a “large donation” to the gay agenda, but to give several thousand dollars to a pro-life organization is not OK, and lose your job to boot. Apparently, saving a small, helpless life is not on your to-do list
I don’t believe your facts are correct. I think it was Mr. Eich’s donation to California Prop 8 that caused the biggest uproar, not a donation to a pro-life organization. Please note: I’m not attacking or judging your position, I’m simply saying your comment to Chris of “Apparently, saving a small, helpless life is not on your to-do list.” Is not only out-of-line, but also not supported by anything his comment.
You are correct, my mistake. But, Mr. Eich is a Christian and that was his impetus to support Prop 8. He is also a donator to Life causes. And if you read my comment covering the Church’s definition of Life below on Chris, that would explain my position. There is absolutely no difference in protecting the fetus and the care of HIV patients, it is included in the same philosophy of Life. My only argument is that HIV is avoidable, and that is all. What happens after a person gets HIV is up for discussion and I said that so much money is being spent on treatments and vaccines that didn’t necessarily needed to be spent IF people would take responsibility for their own sexual proclivities.
Another point: HIV treatment in the US is not being used by nearly 70% of the HIV patients: http://www.medpagetoday.com/HIVAIDS/HIVAIDS/48848?isalert=1&uun=g282795d3022R5277495u&utm_source=breaking-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-news&xid=NL_breakingnews_2014-12-19.
While taking care of HIV patients seems to be an issue in the Gay community, it also seems that they need to get their friends into the treatment centers. Apparently the cost should not be an issue.
They’re two very different subjects. We’re not talking about abortion here, we’re talking about individuals having rights.
Abortion is a far more difficult subject. You have to dwell with the idea of whether a foetus is a person or not, at what moment they are considered an individual, how it affects the life of the person giving life to another, etc. Gay rights is simply treating an already living, contributing to society person, their fair rights.
No, they are not. The importance of life carries from conception to natural death, and include fetus’s and folks who need health care. BUT, if you can stop getting an illness that is avoidable, then it is your responsibility to do so. And no, a pregnancy is not an illness. As far as a fetus being a person: if you have any belief in God, then you know it is a human. Humans cannot deliver a soul or a spirit, only God can.
Then you’re bringing in the subject of religion, which makes it even more controversial. Some people say it’s from conception, others say it’s after a few months after conception, etc. it’s debatable.
Interesting enough, a very large % of fertilised eggs are flushed out naturally, yet you don’t see people mourning their loss. So its not black and white as you make it seem.
Unfortunately, unless you admit to a metaphysical standard of some sort, then anyone can say, “well, life begins six weeks after birth.” Or some foolish notion as that. And you are correct about fertilized eggs being discarded naturally, but that is a natural occurrence, and man has no control over that. The topic of life can be debated forever by man, but only One Person knows for sure. Let’s leave it at that.
The standard would be science. And you could argue that they’re not people because they haven’t developed a central nervous system until a certain point, so have no capacity to feel, or don’t have the capacity to live and depend fully on the mother to survive, etc. Thats why its so difficult to determine, independent of religion.
Anyway, it’s way off topic. Not going to discus that any further here.
From there, we depart. Science cannot explain everything.
donating to Cancer too would be nice, it kills millions of people.
Haven’t you seen the results of the RED campaign donations? That too kills too many.
AID’s is nearly 98% preventable. While I support helping those out who get HIV/AID’s, it is preventable.
Well statistically speaking, out of roughly 34 million people who have HIV/AIDS, 10% are children. 50% are women. 69% in Africa. “Preventable” if the resources are available, but in most cases it’s not. Not to get too serious on this, but women are often raped and that’s how they contract HIV. If we’re thinking consensual sex in America, yes, it’s preventable in most cases, however most people don’t think about the global AIDS problem. Which is why I liked RED.
Preventable IF the resources are available? What about abstinence? Children get it from their mothers. If momma don’t have it, the kids won’t have it. I agree about the rape issue, but the 10% children are not all products of rape. That’s why I left a 2% window in my comments. To me, to fund a vaccine for HIV is ludicrous. All that money wasted to prevent a preventable disease.
Skin cancer from the sun can be avoided if we stay indoors and use SPF everyday. Should we stop researching on curing this type of cancer because people can just avoid the sun? Also, turning a shoulder to children because of their parent’s circumstances isn’t a good excuse to not research/fund a cure/vaccination of HIV/AIDS.
There are more types of Cancers than HIV/AIDS – also Cancer more lethal.
It’s not about which is worse, more diverse, or more prevalent. Each deserve a fight in finding a cure/prevention. Also, the cancer comment was a comparison for the original replier to help realize how narrow her response was.
cancer kills more than hiv or aids …
I wish he would shut up and just make a good computer. This is absurd. What an empty suit this guy is. Nothing against gay community, God bless them.
What was the donation? Free Banjos for everyone.
I believe the donation will serve funding of couseling programs and policy campigning at local and state levels in effort to sustain the momentum of tolerance, understanding, & acceptance; leading to respect, equality & ultimately unity for all dispite sexuality difference.