The bill died by a single vote in the state Senate in late April.

"After looking at the question from all sides, I've concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda," Ballmer wrote.

The bill that failed in the state Legislature would have banned discrimination against gays in housing, employment and insurance. Microsoft had supported the measure in the past, but more recently took a neutral stance.

Critics of Microsoft called it a corporate coward, and a major gay rights group, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center in Los Angeles, asked the company to return a civil rights award it had bestowed on Microsoft four years ago. The group withdrew its demand after Ballmer's turnaround.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, said Microsoft "did the right thing and has come down squarely on the side of fairness for all employees."

Late last month, Ballmer said the company had decided to take a neutral stance on the bill and focus instead on a shorter list of legislative priorities that had a more direct impact on the company's software business.

He said that decision was made well before executives met with the Rev. Ken Hutcherson, pastor of a Redmond church who has organized anti-gay-marriage rallies.

The voice mail Friday at Hutcherson's church did not allow for messages, and a call to an emergency assistance number went unanswered. There is no listing for his home.

© 2005 The Associated Press

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