In what was supposed to be a joke, late-night talk show host Bill Maher lashed out at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community over its forceful social media attacks that forced Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich out of the company.
On Maher's "Real Time" program's "Overtime" segment, he spoke out against the resignation of Eich, saying that he believes "there is a gay mafia," adding that "if you cross them, you do get whacked. I really do think that."
Although he did not elaborate further on what he considered to be the "gay mafia," Maher did allude to the powerful gay community where political sentiments appear to trump the individual rights of others. He stopped there.
The resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich over his reported support for anti-marriage equality organizations and groups made a few waves across the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. A number of developers and tech workers have told Tech Times that they are fearful that private views could trump work in the industry and are concerned over the role the public campaign against Eich played in his resignation.
The Bay Area is a stronghold of support for gay rights, and Eich's position in opposition to marriage equality and his support, financially, for Proposition 8 -- legislation that repealed same-sex marriage in California -- sparked anger and frustration among many in the region.
Ironically, Eich was not the only tech industry CEO and professional to support Proposition 8. Prior to her being named Hewlett-Packard CEO in 2010, Meg Whitman was also a supporter of Proposition 8. Many argue, though, that due to Mozilla's nonprofit status as a public-benefit company, this issue went beyond simple tech industry work and into the social arena.
The segment sparked much controversy, with online activists and users lashing out at the late-night host, saying he doesn't understand the community he was speaking about and that the issue transcends one's right to speak openly.
Eich has not spoken out specifically on the issue but it appears that his $1,000 donation in support of Proposition 8 has left him on the Mozilla sidelines.
