The Microsoft effect?

Shortly after software giant Microsoft pulled support for a pro-gay antidiscrimination bill in Washington State last year, the bill lost in the state senate by one vote. Gay rights leaders accused the company of kowtowing to antigay religious forces, and Microsoft said it would again support the bill.

Now the deciding vote against the measure, Republican senator Bill Finkbeiner--whose district includes Microsoft headquarters--has said he will vote for it this year, all but assuring its passage. "I've had a number of conversations over the past year that have led me to more fully understand the level of discrimination against gays and lesbians," Finkbeiner said on January 9.

The measure, which has been introduced and rejected annually in the legislature for 30 years, also has gained support from numerous political, religious, and student groups.