Her support cost Taiwanese couples their chance at happiness
Cher Wang Photo: Robert Scoble
Cher Wang is the president, CEO, and one of the founders of HTC. At one point, Forbes rated her the richest woman in Taiwan. For years now, she’s been using that money to back anti-LGBTQ hate groups in the U.S. One such group spearheaded a successful campaign in Taiwan to influence voters to side against marriage equality for same-sex couples. As a result, same-sex couples won’t have the same rights as heterosexual couples in Taiwan.
For the first time, I’m glad my once beloved HTC is circling the drain.
In This Article:
Cher Wang’s Favorite Charities
Cher Wang runs two nonprofits in Taiwan. They’re called “VIA Technologies Faith Hope” and “Love Foundation and The Chinese Faith Hope and Love Foundation.” According to the originator of this story, Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, they’re known, collectively, as “Two Organizations.” Her Two Organizations have contributed to anti-LGBTQ charities for years. Through those Two Organizations, she regularly invites the International House of Prayer (IHOP, but not that IHOP) to events in Taiwan. IHOP is an anti-gay hate group in the United States, and one of Wang’s favorite charities.
IHOP, International House of Hate
“Here’s the problem with gay marriage: there is no such thing.”
– IHOP Leader David Sliker
IHOP has been compared to the Wesboro Baptist Church, though it spends less time in the press. Its two leaders, David Sliker and Lou Engle were featured in God Loves Uganda, a documentary about Uganda’s anti-gay bill that would have punished homosexuality with execution. On video, Engle praised the “Kill the Gays: bill as a demonstration of God’s righteousness. He also praised California’s Prop 8, which attempted to ban same-sex marriage in the state. Engle stated that homosexuality was “sexual insanity,” and, furthering his hatred into Islamophobia, stated that homosexuality is “more demonic than Islam.”
This isn’t just a religious institution, it’s an extremist hate group. Through Wang, HTC has made steady donations to this group.
IHOP has also been involved with the Family Research Council, a group designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a hate group. They’ve organized talks and invited speakers to anti-LGBTQ rights events.
What the “Two Organizations” Do
Taiwan recently had a voter referendum on marriage equality. U.S. political groups, including IHOP and National Organization for Marriage (NOM), another anti-LGBTQ hate group, joined in Taiwan to influence voters. Despite that Christianity is a rare religion in Taiwan, thanks to rich donors like Cher Wang, they were able to raise at least $33 million to fight against equal rights for lesbian and gay couples. Cher Wang’s Two Foundations alone has invested over $388 million over the past five years. Much of that went to IHOP and other anti-LGBTQ hate groups.
Because of the massive influx of money from wealthy homophobes, Taiwan’s marriage equality referendum failed. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in Taiwan cannot marry who they love thanks to donations like those from HTC’s president and CEO Cher Wang.
Why This Matters
From a marriage equality marge in Taipei. Photo: Christ Stowers/AFP via Getty Images
You might be thinking, “It’s her money, why should I care how she spends it?” But let’s think of it another way. Let’s say you know this guy, Jimmy. Jimmy said he wants to shoot his wife, but is sad he doesn’t own a gun. He asks you for money to go buy a gun to shoot her. It’s a pretty extreme example, but, obviously, helping Jimmy kill his wife would be horrific, right? Of course. In fact, because you knew of Jimmy’s plans and gave him money anyway, you’d be an accomplice to murder, almost as guilty as the murderer himself.
So, when you find out that Cher Wang is going to use the money she gets from sales of HTC products to (successfully) campaign against LGBTQ rights, you’re knowingly becoming an accomplice in her oppression of a minority group. Right now, there are tens of thousands to millions of depressed couples in Taiwan who just lost their chance at happiness thanks to Cher Wang and HTC.
Do you think that’s okay? Are you comfortable donating even a fraction of a penny to anti-LGBTQ causes? If so, keep buying HTC devices, eating at Chick-fil-a, buying Barilla Pasta, and tossing your spare change in the Salvation Army collection pot. However, if supporting bigotry and oppression bothers you, you know what to do.
HTC’s Impact and Google’s Pixel Phones
Though HTC may leave the cellphone business due to low sales of their own devices, their hardware side of the business is still going strong. Google has an ongoing deal with HTC to produce the incredibly popular Pixel lineup of smartphones. Google’s using HTC as their in-house cellphone manufacturer. Sales of Google’s Pixel devices go directly through HTC and into the pockets of hate groups.
Furthermore, HTC still has their somewhat popular Vive VR headset. Among VR enthusiasts, this is the only way they know HTC as a company.
It’s tough to boycott a company. But there’s no stronger message to send to shareholders. If you don’t want money from HTC going to anti-LGBTQ charities, you’ll have to stop buying HTC or Google Pixel devices, at least until the board votes to remove one of its founders, Cher Wang, from her position as president and CEO. Since that’s unlikely, it might be easier to just hold out until HTC’s already unpopular brand dies of natural causes.
Sources:
- Samson Ellis, Bloomberg
- Nico Lang, INTO
- Kyle Knight, Thomson Reuters Foundation