According to a software developer the Apple Watch Gay Pride face displaying the rainbow flag has purportedly been “hardcoded” by the tech giant not to show up in Russia.
“The Apple Watch pride face is hardcoded to not show up if the paired iPhone is using the Russian locale,” tweeted Guilherme Rambo, a developer who writes for the website 9to5Mac.
Rambo also tweeted lines of code purportedly related to the disablement of the Pride watch face in Russia.
In June, Apple released the new Watch face to celebrate Pride. The tech giant also updated its Pride Edition Woven Nylon Watch band with a new rainbow stripe. Similar to the first version of the rainbow Watch band, Apple is donating a portion of the proceeds to number of LGBT advocacy organizations,
Apple has not replied to a request for comment on this story.
The Apple Watch pride face is hardcoded to not show up if the paired iPhone is using the Russian locale pic.twitter.com/vEP8XquYsP
Apple CEO Tim Cook will host a fundraiser with House Speaker Paul Ryan next week as the iPhone maker tries to strengthen its relationships with key Republicans — despite its decision to pull support for the GOP convention because of its distaste for Donald Trump.
Cook will help generate cash for Ryan at a private breakfast on June 28 in Menlo Park, Calif., along with Gary Wipfler, the company’s treasurer, according to an invite obtained by POLITICO on Monday. The money benefits not only the speaker but a joint fundraising committee aimed at helping to elect other House Republicans.
Cook is hosting the fundraiser on his own accord, as Apple does not have a corporate political action committee like Facebook, Google and other tech giants in Silicon Valley..
Ryan has a consistent conservative record on gay marriage. He supported both the Defense of Marriage Act and a constitutional ban on gay marriage. “The institution of marriage is an integral part of our civil society and its significance goes well beyond eligibility for benefits and similar considerations. Its future should not be left to a few overreaching judges or local officials to decide,” Ryan said in a 2004 statement. “That’s why I support this effort to amend our Constitution to protect marriage.” He has described himself as a “big supporter” of Wisconsin’s 2006 constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Ryan also voted to ban same-sex marriage and adoption by gay couples, and he voted against repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military. Ryan also voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed through the House in 2009.
Rated 13% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record.
Rated 0% by the HRC, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance.
Rated 36% by NAACP, indicating a mixed record on affirmative-action.
Someone should tell Tim Cook that being a Gay Republican, a Jewish Nazi, or a Black Klansman never really works out that well.
Earlier this week we posted about Democrats Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Cory Booker of New Jersey who will be introducing legislation in Congress today to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal laws to protect LGBT Americans from discrimination.
The Equality Act would amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include employment protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Religious beliefs, race, sex, color, and national origin are already protected classes. The bill would not change existing religious exemptions for religious corporations, schools, and associations to make hiring decisions based on religious beliefs if the employee will be performing work connected with their religious activities.
Today three of America’s largest businesses came out in support for the upcoming legislation:
STATEMENT BY APPLE – “At Apple we believe in equal treatment for everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. We fully support the expansion of legal protections as a matter of basic human dignity.”
STATEMENT BY THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY – “Dow applauds the introduction of the Equality Act and continues to support a comprehensive federal framework that ensures fairness and opportunity for everyone. Full inclusion of our LGBT colleagues and citizens is quite simply the right thing to do – for business and for society.”
STATEMENT BY LEVI STRAUSS & CO. – “Levi Strauss & Co. is proud to support the Equality Act. We have a long history of supporting LGBT equality, and the time has come in this country for full, federal equality for the LGBT community. Ensuring fairness in our workplaces and communities is both the right thing to do and simply good business.”
Like ENDA, (The Employment Non-Discrimination Act) the Equality Act will see little traction in either GOP-dominated chamber and is on track for passage in 6 – 10 years.
Jeremy Hooper over at the fantastic website Good As You is reporting that Family Research Council hate group leader and suspected white supremicist Tony Perkins is upset that Tim Cook, the CEO of APPLE has come out as gay and Perkins is also alluding to a boycott of APPLE products during the HOLIDAY season!
Perkins says that Cook’s announcement has “upset the apple cart” .
“When companies get involved in cultural battles, every consumer is forced to take part. As conservatives we aren’t looking for businesses to take our side – we just want them to be neutral. Of course, Tim Cook has the right to express his views but consumers have rights too, including the right to respond. As Christians we’re called to be good stewards of god’s money…and apps like 2nd Vote and Faith-Driven Consumer help shoppers do exactly that. Let’s face it, money talks and corporate America is listening.”
Oh well. More iPhones for us. (As if Tony’s followers don’t all use the Jitterbug away.)
Apple is known to be the second most gay–friendly company in the country. And it tries, it really does try to be all-inclusive.
Apple was an early adopter of LGBT-friendly hiring practices and scored a perfect 100 in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for offering their employees LGBT-protections, domestic partner benefits, and diversity training—also setting a strong example for other large corporations and only does Apple have no history of donating to anti-gay causes, they also famously donated $100,000 to help beat Proposition 8.
But this week Apple has been caught in two very non-pro LGBT glitch.
The first being that on Apple notebook, if you come across the word “marriage” in and do the little “right click > define” thingy. You’ll see that Apple’s built-in definition for “marriage” is that of a “union between a man and a women”.
While groups and religious extremist accuse us of trying to “redefine marriage,” the stark reality is that the definition of “marriage” has changed , not will. HAS. And its done so thanks to the majority of Americans who support gay equality, and Apple has even helped fight for it.
So Apple, I’m sending in this ticket. PLEASE FIX THIS. You know that the definition of marriage has expanded to include gay and lesbian couples.
It’s not that big of a tweak after all despite what some non-techies say
Bloomberg.com reports that over 200 hundred major companies including Facebook Inc. (FB) and Intel Corp., (INTC) are planning to stand up for the gay and lesbian community this week by filing an amicus briefs to the Supreme Court against Prop 8 and DOMA this week.
“Companies, including Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Morgan Stanley (MS), are planning to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, saying bans in 41 states harm workplace morale and undermine recruiting. The group, which also includes Facebook Inc. (FB) and Intel Corp., (INTC) will make its case this week as the high court prepares to take up California’s Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot initiative that halted gay marriage after it was allowed for five months….
…A larger group of companies — more than 200 — is also poised to side with gay-rights advocates in a second Supreme Court case, involving a federal law that defines marriage as a heterosexual union. Under that law, known as the Defense of Marriage Act, legally married gay couples can’t claim the federal tax breaks and other benefits available to opposite-sex spouses.
The companies in that case are part of a collection of more than 250 employers, including cities, counties and law firms.”
Should be interesting to see the Family Research Council, NOM, the AFA and every other hate group call for a boycott all these companies because of their support for the repeal of PROP 8 and DOMA.
After taking their own sweet time Apple iTune Store has finally followed Microsofts example and has pulled the “Christian Values Network” store whose a percentage of proceeds went to the funding of anti-gay hate groups but not until recieving a petition from over 22,000 people demanding it.
Apple has removed their iTunes store from the “Christan Values Network” (CVN.org) after more than 22,000 people signed a petition on Change.org started by Ben Crowther, a student and Apple customer concerned about CVN’s funding of anti-gay, anti-women organizations like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council. The Apple campaign, which picked up significant momentum after 13,000 AllOut.org members signed another petition on Thursday, follows Microsoft’s decision to leave CVN two weeks ago, prompted by another customer-driven campaign on Change.org. Several other companies have removed their online stores since then, including REI, Macy’s, Delta Airlines, BBC America, and Wells Fargo.
Stephen Baldwin and Michael Lohan helped launch the Christian Values Network, an online service that raises money for various religious groups from the purchase of goods and services. Both Baldwin and Lohan are outspoken about their anti-gay views. Baldwin told the Guardianin 2010 that he supports so called “ex-gay” therapy, a harmful practice that falsely claims to “cure” people of their sexual orientation and Lohan told reporters in 2008 he would not walk his daughter, Lindsay Lohan, down the aisle if she chose to marry her same-sex partner, “I don’t think she’d ask me to walk her down the aisle,” says Michael. “She knows about my (Christian) faith … she just wouldn’t ask
Steve Job’s and Apple’s new social network for music, Ping, has one major flaw it seems. IT’S HOMOPHOBIC.
Outspoken singer and gay rights activist Lady Gaga has a promo page on PING and Apple and PING has taken it on themselves to leave out some interesting pro gay right Tweets from the Gaga. especially Tweets about anti-gay marriage Proposition 8. Gaga has been lending her full support to gay rights and gay marriage even going as far to try to become an ordained minister so she can perform gay marriages when they become legal in California. However her Ping page mysteriously does not list any of her pro-gay right posts.
One of the omitted Tweets says “Full equality, this is just the beginning”- a thought naturally repellent to the Apple who seems to think All Nerds Are Equal Except Gay Nerds.