OREGON: Nike Donates $280K To Overturn Ban On Same-Sex Marriage

Sporting goods giant Nike, which is headquartered in Oregon, has created a political action committee in order to contribute $280K to the campaign to place a repeal of the state's marriage ban on the 2014 ballot. 

The PAC, called the Nike Equality PAC, plans to focus its efforts on collecting donations from Nike employees and Nike-affiliated companies. The news was first reported by the Portland Business Journal, which notes that the company donated $100,000 to start the PAC and its executives donated the remaining $180,000. “Nike is fully supportive of the initiative to create marriage equality so all our employees are treated fairly and with respect in the workplace and the community,” according to the Nike Equality PAC website. “We believe that diversity drives innovation, and allows us to attract and retain world class talent. For Oregon businesses to attract and retain the best talent, we need fair and equitable laws that treat all Oregonians equally and prevent discrimination.”

Nike, which has 44,000 employees worldwide, was one of the first companies to offer domestic partner benefits. That was nearly 20 years ago. This summer Nike executives submitted a SCOTUS brief supporting the overturn of DOMA.

RELATED: Oregon passed its constitution ban on same-sex marriage in 2004. Twenty-one states passed such bans during the 2004-2006 reign of RNC chairman Ken Mehlman.