News & Notes: Whitman ’77 supports same-sex marriage

Meg Whitman ‘77, the donor who was Whitman College’s namesake, became one of dozens of prominent Republicans who signed a legal brief in support of legalizing same-sex marriage in California last month. The document has been submitted to the Supreme Court in support of a suit challenging Proposition 8, a 2008 amendment to the California constitution outlawing same-sex marriage. 

The announcement represents a shift from Whitman’s earlier position. Whitman supported Proposition 8 in 2008 and continued to oppose same-sex marriage during her 2010 candidacy as the Republican nominee for governor of California.

Whitman explained to The Los Angeles Times that her views on same-sex marriage had changed after “careful review and reflection,” and that her revised view had been profoundly impacted by the facts and arguments presented throughout the legal process of the current court challenge.

Whitman earned an economics degree with honors from the University. She rose to national prominence as president and chief executive officer of the online auction site eBay, a position she held from 1998 to 2007. She is currently the president and chief executive officer of information technology company Hewlett-Packard.

While working at eBay, Whitman donated $30 million to the University to establish the residential college that bears her name.