“Today is a historic day for equality for all. Glad to see #SCOTUS support for same sex marriage,” eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe tweeted on Friday, June 26, as news of the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage was made public.
“Simply Put: #LoveWins,” PayPal tweeted.
eBay President and CEO Designee, Devin Wenig, voiced his support on Twitter. “Kudos to #SCOTUS for today's ruling in support of same-sex marriage. Protecting inclusion & freedom is a victory for all of us.”
Later, he posted an image of the eBay flag flying alongside the rainbow flag representing marriage rights, and the words: “I'm proud of the role the entire tech community played in contributing to the dialogue.”
eBay Inc. has been a long-time supporter of LGBT rights. In November, for the seventh year in a row, eBay Inc. received a 100 percent ranking on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national report on corporate policies and practices related to workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people.
The CEI rating is based on evaluation of LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBT community. As in past years, our perfect rating drew strength from our progressive equal opportunity employment policy and forward-thinking benefits practices for same-sex couples and transgendered employees.
"In order to achieve a perfect score, a company has to show a deep and serious commitment to treating their LGBT employees fairly and equally. eBay Inc. not only meets these standards, it goes above and beyond the call of duty, making commitment to equality a fundamental aspect of its corporate values,” said HRC President, Chad Griffin.
eBay Inc.‘s perfect score was in part achieved because it is one of the few companies to cover the extra tax paid on benefits for employees with same-sex partners, creating parity with married heterosexual couples. Same-sex adoptive parents can avail of the same parental leave rights as opposite sex parents.
eBay has an officially recognized LGBT employees group, called eAGLE (eBay Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Employees) and BeAGLE, which is the group for buddies of eAGLE.The company offers gender-reassignment surgery, hormone therapy, mental health counseling and paid leave to transgender employees.
eBay was a founding member of a major business coalition opposing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court regarding the act, which was partially struck down.
eBay leaders have been vocal in their support for equal marriage rights around the world. On a recent visit to Dublin, Ireland, John Donahoe spoke with business and technology journalist Ciara O'Brien from The Irish Times on equality and same-sex marriage. Donahoe noted that marriage equality aligns with eBay Inc.’s broader diversity and inclusion policies.
“It’s a dynamic world out there, and sentiment is changing on these issues. Many of the most talented people out there care about these issues and they want to work for a company that cares,” Donahoe said.
The company recently disclosed its latest data on diversity, and Donahoe, along with eBay CEO-designee Devin Wenig and PayPal CEO-designee Dan Schulman, showed support for LGBT rights as they publicly opposed Indiana’s controversial Religious Freedom law.