Liberal comedian Bill Maher suggested Friday that a “gay mafia” forced ex-Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich out of his job over his stance on gay marriage.
Maher briefly asked his panelists to weigh in on the debate surrounding Eich’s departure from Mozilla in the online-only “Overtime” segment of his HBO show “Real Time.” Former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) observed that the outcry stemmed from one $1,000 donation Eich gave eight years ago to the campaign to pass Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that outlawed same-sex marriage in California.
“Well, and he gave it when President Obama was still against gay marriage. So I don’t think it’s very fair,” conservative writer Carrie Sheffield said.
“Good point. I think there is a gay mafia,” Maher quipped. “I think if you cross them, you do get whacked. I really do.”
Eich’s exit from Mozilla, following a boycott of Mozilla’s Firefox browser by online dating service OkCupid, sparked a firestorm on the right. Conservatives argued Eich was bullied out of the position because of his personal beliefs and noted that Obama wasn’t chased out of office for his previous opposition to gay marriage.
Watch below, via Real Clear Politics:
