Microsoft's Ballmer, Gates Each Donate $100,000 in Support of Gay Marriage

CEO Steve Ballmer and company co-founder Bill Gates donated $100,000 each on Friday to support Washington state's new gay marriage law, the Associated Press reported Monday.

The law, earlier this year, . Ballmer's and Gates' donations were made to Washington United for Marriage, which supports Referendum 74 and upholding Washington's same sex marriage law.

Though people opposed to same sex marriage gathered the signatures to put the referendum on the ballot, voting yes on the referendum would mean that same sex couples would be allowed to marry in this state.

According to the AP, the group had raised nearly $1.5 million before the two donations were made.

"It's going to make a tremendous difference," Zach Silk of Washington United for Marriage told the AP. "It's very important for us to have that broad support from business leaders and companies themselves."

Microsoft by joining other Washington businesses in a letter to legislators last January. Several other prominent Northwest-based companies, including Starbucks and Nike, have also voiced their support for the law, according to the AP.

Click here to read the entire AP story on SeattlePI.com.

Does this affect how you think of Microsoft, Starbucks and other Northwest companies?