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SALEM, OR, November 21, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Sports retail giant Nike has jumped into the fray over same-sex “marriage,” founding a political action committee (PAC) to fund efforts to redefine marriage in Oregon, where the company is based.

Oregon voters approved an amendment to the state constitution in 2004 that defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The measure was approved by a wide margin, with 57 percent of Oregonians voting in favor of the traditional definition of marriage, despite the amendment’s backers being outspent 2-to-1 by homosexual activists.

In 2008, the state legislature voted to approve domestic partnerships for homosexual couples, and last month, state officials announced that Oregon would recognize same-sex “marriages” performed in other states.

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But that’s not good enough for homosexual activists, who have mounted a petition drive to put same-sex “marriage” on the ballot again in Oregon, asking voters to reverse the ban they enacted just ten years ago.

Now, Beaverton-based Nike has joined the fight, founding “Nike Equality PAC” to support the referendum.

According to the Portland Business Journal, the PAC was launched with $280,000, including $100,000 in corporate contributions and $180,000 in personal contributions from company executives.

“We chose to set up the Nike Equality PAC so that Nike, and its employees if they choose, have a specific avenue to support campaign efforts that are directly related to winning marriage equality in Oregon,” the company said in a statement.

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Nike has a long history of supporting homosexual causes both inside and outside the state of Oregon. The company was instrumental in organizing support for Oregon’s domestic partnership law and played a major role in adding homosexuality and gender identity to the state’s anti-discrimination laws. Nike also filed a “friend of the court” brief during the Supreme Court battle over the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), urging the court to force the federal government to recognize gay “marriages.”

In its daily operations, Nike gives preference to homosexual suppliers, and has long extended full “spousal” benefits including adoption assistance to its homosexual employees and their partners, whether “married” or not. The company also covers sex-change operations and related hormonal treatments for employees and their dependents.

In 2012, Nike introduced a line of rainbow-colored, homosexuality-themed shoes and sportswear. Sales of the high-priced line (a pair of rainbow-soled sneakers costs $115) have netted more than $200,000 for the company’s LGBT Sports Coalition, which seeks to “end bias” against homosexuality in sports.