Electronic Arts joins coalition of US businesses against DOMA

It’s typically a rare thing when video games and politics collide, but in 2012 we’re seeing it happen on an increasingly frequent basis. Earlier this year many video game companies came out against SOPA and PIPA, and now Electronic Arts has announced that it has joined the coalition of US businesses that stand against the Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA, as many of you probably already know, is a law that was enacted in 1996 which defines marriage as being between one man and one woman. Now, Electronic Arts is asking that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals “find portions of the Act unconstitutional.”

Given the current political climate, this could go either way for Electronic Arts. There are many out there who support the legalization of gay marriage, but there are also quite a few who don’t. Electronic Arts, however, doesn’t seem to be all that concerned with PR (be it good or bad), instead highlighting the issues DOMA presents for businesses across the country.

“DOMA presents a number of problems for businesses like EA, as it creates regulatory, tax, and discrimination complications for employers, and that’s why we’re standing against it,” the publisher said. “The underlying lawsuit impacts all employers no matter how big or small, and no matter the industry, and we encourage other business to join these efforts.”

Support of gay rights is nothing new for Electronic Arts. It wasn’t too long ago that various EA employees came together to produce a touching video for the It Gets Better campaign, which aims to support LGBT youth who are bullied by their peers because of their orientation. In June, EA announced that it would be supporting LGBT pride month by marching in gay pride parades in Seattle and San Francisco. Of course, there is also the fact that some of the games EA publishes allow for homosexual relationships, such as BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 2.