Yelp wants to make it clear, in no way does it support Proposition 8. In fact, the company's spokesperson says its co-founders voted against the measure, but Yelp says it has a set of guidelines and everyone needs to follow them.
Supporters of same-sex marriage have been staging demonstrations nearly every day since voters approved Prop 8, the same-sex marriage ban, but these same protesters are also fighting for their cause using their power as consumers. On the popular review website www.yelp.com same-sex marriage supporters have been busy posting -- identifying businesses that donated money to the Prop 8 Campaign.
"I think it's all part of getting the truth out there. And if you're doing something you're not ashamed of, then you shouldn't mind that people know about it," said Karen Smith, a same-sex marriage supporter.
Yelp, however, shares a different point of view. The San Francisco based company is removing postings identifying Prop 8 supporters. Yelp's spokesperson wrote, "We've always maintained that the reviews of businesses on yelp should be reviews of the customer experience, not the political leaning or voting record of a business owner or its employees."
It's a policy that's clearly stated on the company's website. Even so, many Prop 8 opponents are disappointed.
"That really does affect someone's experience of the product. If the product has come from someone who say has given millions of dollars in support of Prop 8, that's really going to affect how I relate to that product," said Kirsten Dunford, a same-sex marriage supporter.
Wedding dress designer Amy Kuschel has mixed feelings about Yelp's policy. She's a staunch opponent of Prop 8, but same-sex marriage supporters have been targeting her business on yelp. She's been trying to set the record straight for the past six days -- that one of her employees donated $2,500 to the Prop 8 campaign, not her.
"If I feel very strongly about something and I want to speak out, I should be able to speak out. But you know without all the information without all the accurate information it can be very dangerous and very unfair," said Kuschel.
There are other sites where you can go, to identify campaign contributors. In fact, you can go to the secretary of state's website where there's a list of donors for and against Prop 8.
