[yypark]

Cynically: Some degree of conformity to your group is required as a CEO, including on political issues. In the tech world, supporting SOPA is a killer, but also certain other social issues, including gay marriage. If you run a big popular chicken sandwich in the South, don't start donating to pro-choice (abortion) groups either.

The gay marriage issue seems to be the most socially poisonous out of all in Silicon Valley - I find the level of vitriol offputting. Would this apply to someone who was pro-2nd amendment, pro-life, or held other similarly minority views? Many people disagree on the civil rights of gun ownership or abortion, but it is not nearly as loud. Everyone paints social issues a black-white, right-wrong decision, and ignore that over half of Californians, whether their religion or personal beliefs dictated so, voted for Proposition 8. While you or I don't necessarily agree with them, we will interact with them thousands of times in our lives.

It goes both ways. Just let that sink in, and realize the role that human nature and tribalism plays in addition to the loftier goals of political ideals and tolerance.

[kenjackson]

The thing that makes civil rights a big deal is that it affects people.

If you are against gay marriage or interracial marriage, that's a statement about how you feel about people. Gun control is a lot less about how you feel about people.

I think for me, and many others, gay marriage seems like such an obvious thing that I really question the ethics of one who opposes it. There is probably no other major issue in the US that I think is as obvious -- not immigration, abortion, climate change, gun control, taxes, health care, Russia, torture, etc...

[yypark]

Let's take affirmative action as a civil right - it's also an issue that will affect a lot of organizations: Some people consider opposing affirmative action as racist and anti-minority, and such a person unfit to be a CEO. Meanwhile others see affirmative action itself as racist (see Ward Connerly, from California Proposition 209) and sometimes discriminating against minorities too. This fundamentally leads to a similar clash - so who's right here on what the civil right is (e.g. anti-racism)?

Some will say that affirmative action is not an obvious thing you'd question the ethics of a person for. But oppose or support that sort of initiative and you'll be called a racist, sexist, etc. by at least one group, based on how you feel about certain groups of people.

[kenjackson]

Affirmative action is not a civil right. Equality is. Affirmative action is a method to tip the scales to achieve a goal, and it may or may not be effective. It's not the same as gay marriage. Not even close, IMHO -- and I'm a pretty big advocate of affirmative action in the US.

Interracial marriage is probably the closest "recent" legislation I could think of.