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Thomson Reuters Company Sides With Pro-Equality Minnesota Same-Sex Marriage Advocates

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -– Media giant Thomson Reuters said Friday that a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota would be bad for business.

John Shaughnessy, a spokesman for the New York City based legal, business information company, told reporters Friday that several of the company's Minnesota-based company executives wrote in an email to employees that: "We believe the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, if passed, would limit our ability to recruit and retain top talent." Shaughnessy added that company doesn't believe the amendment "would be good for Thomson Reuters or the business community in the state."

Thursday, the anti-LGBTQ equality rights advocacy group, Minnesota for Marriage, showcased a new study by CNBC identifying what it found to be the 10 most business-friendly states in the nation. Minnesota for Marriage noted that nine of those states have passed marriage amendments.

“The claim that the passage of the marriage protection amendment will hurt Minnesota’s economy is a complete myth,” said John Helmberger, board chairman of Minnesota for Marriage. 

“If anything, the opposite is true. The CNBC study is yet another in a string of studies that consistently show states with a marriage protection amendment in their constitution are among our top performing economic states.”

Helmberger notes that passage of the amendment will not change Minnesota law, which does not recognize same-sex unions. “It simply puts our current definition of marriage beyond the reach of activist judges and politicians to change it without the consent of the voters,” said Helmberger.

Minnesota already has a law against same-sex marriage, but opponents claim that the amendment is necessary to put the ban in the state constitution.

Mike Suchsland, president of legal, and Rick King, chief operations officer of technology, Suchsland and King acknowledged some employees might not agree with their position.

“We know that there are varying points of view on the amendment and we encourage each of you to express your individual opinion at the polls."

“Thomson Reuters is a business that values open dialogue, and we know that this communication may generate some discussion. It’s an issue that is full of emotion for many, so please remember to honor our tradition of treating all people fairly and with respect.”

Minnesotans United for All Families, the group working to defeat the amendment, hailed the company's decision.

"More and more, companies in Minnesota are standing up and saying that this hurtful amendment is not in the best interests of businesses, families or the state of Minnesota," Richard Carlbom, the group's executive director, said in a statement.

Other prominent Minnesota based companies including General Mills and St. Jude Medical have publicly opposed the proposed amendment, which goes to the state's voters in November.