Mozilla employees, developers demand new CEO resign over donations to anti-LGBT causes

Employees at Mozilla -- the company responsible for the popular Firefox browser -- are calling for newly installed chief executive Brendan Eich to step down over donations he made in support of California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state.

On his own blog, Eich acknowledged that "there are concerns about my commitment to fostering equality and welcome for LGBT individuals at Mozilla" in light of his $1,000 donation to proponents of Proposition 8, but that he hoped "to lay those concerns to rest...by making a set of commitments" to employees.

"I am committed," he wrote, "to ensuring that Mozilla is, and will remain, a place that includes and supports everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, economic status, or religion."

Some of his employees continue to believe that actions -- in this case, actions in the form of monetary donations -- speak louder than words. The leader of Mozilla's Open Badges project wrote on Twitter:

I'm an employee of @mozilla and I'm asking @brendaneich to step down as CEO.

— Chris McAvoy (@chmcavoy) March 27, 2014

However, McAvoy added shortly thereafter:

It's important to note that I'm fortunate to work at a place like @mozilla where I can say that without fear of retribution.

— Chris McAvoy (@chmcavoy) March 27, 2014

Some third-party developers have vowed not to work with Mozilla unless Eich steps down. On their blog, Hampton Catlin and Michael Lintorn Catlin wrote that "[b]y the very bones in our body, we cannot dare use our creativity, experience, knowledge, and passion to further the career of a man who has to this day not apologized for his support. [We] can’t spend hours and days and years polishing, building, and upgrading applications that make him richer than he is."