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Greedy? Sued For Fraud? You’re the HRC’S Newest Spokesperson

Posted by on Feb 15, 2012 in Mind Your Business | 4 comments

We can’t stop discussing marriage equality. The recent victory in Washington State, weddings in New York, and even cards in Whole Foods are just a sampling of the proof that queer civil rights are finally securing their deserved place in the cultural lexicon.

The HRC recently named Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs as their newest “national corporate spokesman for same-sex marriage.” At first glance, this seems like a leap in the right direction. Look further into Goldman Sachs’ business practices, however, and one may be left to wonder how genuine that advocacy truly is.

Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi outlines a pretty extensive laundry list of the many lawsuits currently pending against Goldman Sachs. A long history of fraud, insider trading, and an active roll in the current economic troubles are only some of the examples. Even Goldman Sachs’ Wikipedia page presents a rather chilling picture of controversies, and violations of civil rights for working class people. Tabbi writes,

…In most every state in America, some major institutional investor, union, pension fund, or shareholder is either suing Goldman, Sachs or Blankfein for unethical business practices, or actively protesting the bank’s extreme greed and seeming disregard for the well-being of ordinary people.

…As for Blankfein personally, he’s only a guy whom a U.S. Senate subcommittee recommended for perjury charges, who told a British newspaper he was doing “God’s work,” and who took home $53 million in compensation in 2007, the worst year of a national financial crisis he had a big hand in creating…

What do you think? Are Blankfein and Goldman Sachs genuinely interested in queer civil rights, or are they only doing this to appear more progressive? Is (possibly) disingenuous support just as good as actual support?

Do you care who advocates for marriage equality, as long as they’re doing so, or should it tie into a larger civil rights picture? Goldman Sachs’ history is about as complex as the issue, so additional talking points are encouraged.

(via Rolling Stone)