General Mills Against Marriage Amendment

General Mills publicly opposed the state amendment to ban gay marriage. At an event and on the company blog, an executive explained why the Golden Valley based company is against the proposed amendment, which will be on the ballot this November.

"We do not believe the proposed constitutional amendment is in the best interests of our employees or our state economy — and as a Minnesota-based company we oppose it," Ken Charles, vice president of global diversity and inclusion for General Mills, wrote in a public blog post on the company's website. "We value diversity. We value inclusion. We always have and we always will."

Charles went on to say, “I am proud to see our company join the ranks of local and national employers speaking out for inclusion. We do not believe the proposed constitutional amendment is in the best interests of our employees or our state economy – and as a Minnesota-based company we oppose it.”

General Mills is not the first company to oppose the amendment. Carlson Companies, the hospitality giant, and St. Jude Medical have also taken a stand against the proposed amendment. Several cities, including the .

In May, Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris said, “This amendment ultimately takes away the rights of a select group of people and we have an obligation to protect the rights of all citizens in this city.”

It’s rare and sometime risky for cities and companies to take a political stance on such hot-button issues, Heather LaMarre, a professor in the University of Minnesota's School of Journalism told the Star Tribune. What do you think? Should companies pick sides on topics like the marriage amendment? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments section below.