The cereal maker issued a statement saying, “We do not believe the proposed constitutional amendment is in the best interests of our employees or our state economy — and as a Minnesota-based company we oppose it.” 
 
 Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, said, “General Mills makes billions marketing cereal to parents of young children. Taking a corporate position on such a politically charged issue as gay marriage is a risky move for a big company like Golden Valley-based General Mills, with such well known brands as Cheerios and Yoplait. General Mills is the second major Minnesota-based company to come out against the amendment, which will be on the November ballot. On Thursday, the group accused General Mills CEO of declaring a “war on marriage” with its own customers because General Mills CEO Ken Powell spoke at an LGBT pride event saying the company opposes an amendment to ban same sex marriage in Minnesota, where it is headquartered. The lead group fighting the amendment praised General Mills' decision. Ken Charles, the company’s vice president of global diversity and inclusion, wrote on the company’s blog Thursday, “Obviously, there are strongly held views on both sides. We acknowledge those views, including those on religious grounds," he said. "We respect and defend the right of others to disagree. But we truly value diversity and inclusion — and that makes our choice clear.” 
 
 Same-sex marriage opponents are currently boycotting coffee titan Starbucks, based in Seattle, because Starbucks opposes a similar amendment also on the ballot in Washington state.
– Politics may be coming to the cereal aisle. General Mills jumped into the gay marriage debate Wednesday, as CEO Ken Powell appeared at an LGBT pride event to declare the company's opposition to a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in its home state of Minnesota, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "We value diversity. We value inclusion," a company VP wrote in a follow-up letter online, saying the ban wouldn't be "in the best interests of our employees or our state economy." The National Organization for Marriage was incensed, and yesterday raised a hue and cry against the cereal maker. "General Mills makes billions marketing cereal to parents of young children. It has now effectively declared a war on marriage with its own customers," its president said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He predicted the move would go down "as one of the dumbest corporate PR stunts of all time." Marriage equality activists, however, praised the move. "The business case against this amendment is straightforward and powerful," one said.