Bloomberg Says ‘Yes’ to Marriage Equality Across APAC

Today, more than 25 countries around the world legally recognize same-sex marriage. Increasingly, the LGBTQ+ community advocates who are leading the fight for marriage equality in their countries are finding support from corporations who make a strong business case for legalizing same-sex marriage. Not only does marriage equality make it easier for companies to recruit and retain top talent, but also it eliminates many of the handicaps they may face in treating their diverse employees equitably. Combined, these two factors ultimately help make their workplaces even more inclusive.

This is what happened when 379 companies, including Bloomberg, filed an amicus brief in the 2015 Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, one of several cases that the court heard related to marriage equality. Together, they argued against the undue burden they faced as employers due to the wide variety of conflicting state laws about same-sex marriage.

And so it is again in 2020, when movements are springing up to advocate for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Japan and Hong Kong.

In Japan, Bloomberg recently joined 83 other companies and international Chambers of Commerce to express its support for “The Viewpoint on Marriage Equality,” an initiative spearheaded by Lawyers for LGBT Allies Network (LLAN).

In Hong Kong, this week saw the launch of Equal Love Hong Kong, a coalition of five local community and business organizations – the Hong Kong LGBT+ Attorneys Network; Pink Alliance; Hong Kong Marriage Equality; Hong Kong LGBT+ Interbank Forum; and Community Business – aiming to rally support for marriage equality in the business community. Bloomberg is one of the first 41 companies and organizations that have pledged their support for Equal Love HK’s efforts to secure legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Hong Kong.

“Bloomberg is proud to support the drive for marriage equality under the law in Japan, Hong Kong and around the world,” said Alisha Fernando, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Asia-Pacific. “Recognizing same-sex relationships furthers our efforts to create an inclusive environment that enriches society and attracts diverse talent. We understand that the company’s LGBTQ+ employees and clients deserve to be seen, valued and respected both at work and in every aspect of their daily lives.”