North Carolina, Hate, and how you can help

For those of you who missed the North Carolina vote on Marriage Equality and all of the hate and vitriol that it splashed across the internet and airwaves, there is some unfortunate blow back happening now that you can do something about.

Replacements.com, a business I have long known about and long appreciated was the only vocal for-profit business in the state of NC to support Marriage Equality during the fight.  Replacements was founded by a man who had the idea of selling replacement pieces for silver, china, and crystal sets over the internet.  He’s made a killing doing it, AND he’s proven to be an outstanding boss and run a really good company in the process.

Not only does he run a pet friendly work environment, his company consistently gets high marks in employee satisfaction, happiness, and all the other markers of a good workplace including employee retention and workplace safety.  Also, it is a pet friendly work place, which you know scores high marks with me.  And I mean pet friendly, not just dog friendly.  They even feature an employee and pet in each monthly newsletter.

What I didn’t know was that the founder, Bob Page, is a gay man with a committed lifelong partner and adopted twin boys.  Naturally, when the vote to enshrine hate in North Carolina law was coming, he took sides.  So did the rest of the Replacements.com family.  You can read more about it in the NYT article here.

To date the response Bob has received has been outstandingly negative.  I’m not sure if he’s received actual death threats, but I’d be totally unsurprised if he has.  As I’ve done business with them in the past and often wished they were located here in MA so I could work for them, I encourage you to reach out to them now and offer them a note of encouragement.

As is the usual way with these things, it’s the cranks, the haters, and the people who are so afraid of what equality stands for that they scream and shout about anything, who are making the most noise.  The folks who understand that marriage equality for all is not a threat to anyone’s marriage, while having fought a good fight, aren’t the loud obnoxious ones here.

Geoff and I even registered, via Amazon.com, for some pieces from them on our wedding registry, that’s how happy I’ve been with their service.  I am going to email them and tell them how I appreciate them standing up for equality.  I hope you’ll do the same.

Their contact info is:
1-800-REPLACE (1-800-737-5223) 9:00 am – 10:00 pm ET, 7 days
inquire@replacements.com
TDD – 1-800-270-3708
Snail mail:  Replacements, Ltd.,  P.O. Box 26029, Greensboro, NC, 27420-6029

Also, remember this.  Corporate giants like Bank of America and Lowes, just to name two, who are headquartered in NC were conspicuously silent through this whole thing.  Think about that next time you need to do business.  As Elie Wiesel said, “Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.”  Bank of America and Lowes didn’t help anyone by sitting silent.  Replacements.com may have tried and failed, but at least they tried.

~Kelly