How out of touch are Bob Marshall, John Cosgrove and all the other gay bashers in the Virginia House of Delegates? According to Zogby, most of them are, at least if you look at corporate America. Here's what Zogby has to say on the subject, in an article entitled "Corporate America - The Unlikely Gay Ally":
The FORTUNE 500 has reached consensus: homophobia is not good business.[...]
Five years ago, a minority of FORTUNE 500 companies provided sexual orientation workplace protection. Currently, 461 (92.2%) of the 2005 FORTUNE 500 Companies protect gay employees.
And this is REALLY interesting, especially when you think about the Republican Party's pro-business and social conservative, Pat Robertson wing:
Corporate America has become an instrument of social change. Social conservatives not only find themselves up against core American values such as fairness, but also core principles of free enterprise. Efficient capitalism requires bottom line decisions.Corporate America has become an ally of [Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender; GLBT] rights not only because so many agree with equality, but because the result is consistent with profit maximization. Capitalists have concluded that for the GLBT market, sagacious business follows the money.
So, there you have it. Corporate America overwhelmingly favors gay rights, based not just on what's morally right but also on bottom-line, hard-nosed capitalism. And "social conservatives" oppose the fundamental American belief in fairness. Perhaps that's why the Republican Party, such as the bizarre right-wingers from outer space we find in the Virginia General Assembly, apparently has moved away from being in the mainstream of America. Today, even WalMart, "the largest of the FORTUNE 500 companies, includes sexual orientation protection in its workplace policies. But no, not the Bob Marshalls and John Cosgroves of the world, who keep on moving in the opposite direction - back to their imaginary/fantasy world of the 1950s or earlier. So tell me again, how does this bizarre, unholy Republican coalition hold together, exactly?