LGBT equality is 'civil rights issue of our time', says Zynga

Game publishers Zynga and Electronic Arts have spoken out on marriage inequality in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

Both publishers are among a number of companies that publicly oppose the Defense of Marriage Act in the US, which legally defines marriage as an act between one man and one woman.

In the interview, Zynga and EA revealed that neither company suffered a backlash from customers or investors over their public stance, calling it a "non-issue" from an investor perspective.

Zynga general counsel Reggie Davis referred to LGBT equality as "the civil rights issue of our time", saying that the US has a long way to go.

"There are 13-, 14-, 15-year-old boys and girls committing suicide throughout a lot of the country, because they can't come to grips in their community with being who they are," Davis told the publication.

"We're very vocal about our position, and people ultimately have an option to invest in the company or not. As long as there's good disclosure around what your commitments are at the company, then people can make informed decisions as to whether they want to invest in you or not."

Electronic Arts head of global diversity and inclusion Ginger Maseda took a similar stance.

"There have been no questions, comments, or concerns raised from our investors with regards to support for LGBT initiatives in the community or having LGBT characters in our games," Maseda said.