Apple joins Australia’s fight for marriage equality

Apple is joining Australia’s fight for marriage equality. The tech giant pledged its support to gay marriage in the country, adding its rainbow-filled logo to the Australian Marriage Equality website Tuesday.

The iPhone-maker joins hundreds of local and international companies – including Google, Microsoft, AirBNB, McDonalds and Twitter – that have voiced their support to the cause.

“Apple believes all people should be treated equally,” the multibillion-dollar company said in a statement. “That’s why we think all Australians should be able to marry the person they love.”

Apple is headed by CEO Tim Cook, who is openly gay. He is vocal about his support for gay marriage, even lauding the US Supreme Court’s decision in 2015 to allow same-sex marriage in the country.

Last year, Cook explained to the titular host of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” why he decided to come out in 2014. The 55-year-old tech boss said he felt a “tremendous responsibility” in coming out as a gay person.

“It became so clear to me that kids were being bullied in school, kids were basically discriminated against, and kids were even being disclaimed by their own parents. And I needed to do something,” he said. “Where I valued my privacy significantly, I felt I was valuing it too far above what I can do for other people. So I wanted to tell everyone my truth.”

Watch: Tim Cook explains why he came out as a gay man

Former PM John Howard wants protection for those opposed to gay marriage

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is seeking to conduct public referendum on marriage equality by late 2016 or early 2017. This has been opposed by a number of Labor members and organisations, which argued that a plebiscite would just give platform to bigotry and prejudice against LGBTI people.

Victoria Premier Andrews urges Turnbull to abandon same-sex marriage plebiscite