February 9, 2004

Google Search Results On “Gay Marriage” Is Topped By Anti-Gay, Far Right Group.

February 9, 2004 (San Francisco, CA) A routine search on the widely popular Google website raises troubling results for one gay rights supporter.

According to Kevin Weaver of San Francisco, after typing in the words “gay marriage” on the Google search engine, the link that ranked first in the results was that of the American Family Association, followed by a Wired news story, then followed by a website called “NoGayMarriage.com”. Further down the list and subsequent pages were few pro-gay rights groups, buried among news stories from mainstream and right-wing news sources.

The American Family Association is a national organization that orchestrates attacks on gay rights, women’s right to choice, and the separation of church and state. Known for it’s boycotts and lawsuits, the AFA have also been instrumental in advocating several Southern states to reduce funding for the Public Broadcasting System and the National Endowment for the Arts, due to their funding of programs affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

“I went to look for general information about gay marriage and instead I was confronted by anti-gay hate groups,” says Mr. Weaver, “it actually took some searching to find anything other than the anti-gay perspective. When there are so many pro-gay marriage groups out there in cyberspace, it seems odd very few of them should appear when you enter the search terms I did into Google’s engine. I feel as if there is a right-wing proclivity when it comes to gay issues and Google search results.”

Mr. Weaver has asked that “folks write, email, or call” Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA and have them investigate their search results or “at least make the playing field even” in regards to searching on gay marriage issues. “What I saw in the Google search results on gay marriage is troubling to anyone who is researching for a paper, curious about the subject, or has serious questions. That these anti-gay groups are ranked first in the results while pro-gay marriage groups are buried underneath is worrisome indeed.”

Google can be contacted at:
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Mountain View, CA 94043
phone: 650-623-4000
fax: 650-618-1499
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