Google launches ‘Legalise Love’ gay rights campaign

Google has launched a campaign called ‘Legalise Love’, aimed at pushing for gay rights in countries with anti-homosexuality laws.

Despite the title, the initiative is not about promoting marriage equality.

Instead, a Google spokesperson said the campaign will “promote safer conditions for gay and lesbian people inside and outside the office in countries with anti-gay laws on the books”.

Dot29.com reports that the campaign was announced at the Global LGBT Workplace Summit in London yesterday.

Google executive Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe said: “We want our employees who are gay or lesbian or transgender to have the same experience outside the office as they do in the office. It is obviously a very ambitious piece of work.”

He added that the initiative will begin in Singapore and Poland, saying: “Singapore wants to be a global financial centre and world leader and we can push them on the fact that being a global centre and a world leader means you have to treat all people the same, irrespective of their sexual orientation.”

Google has been a strong supporter of LGBT rights. It offers full employee benefits to gay staff and spoke out against Proposition 8 in California.