First, I have been online for almost 30 years. I’ve led an open source project for 14 years. I speak regularly at conferences around the world, and socialize with members of the Mozilla, JavaScript, and other web developer communities. I challenge anyone to cite an incident where I displayed hatred, or ever treated someone less than respectfully because of group affinity or individual identity.
So I hid my hatred from everyone for 30 years successfully. Now that everyone finds out that I donated to a cause to strip them of rights everyone wants to say I'm hateful? Give me one example where I displayed hatred....how about the time you donated to strip people of their rights? That might be a big one for me.
Is there proof he donated? Was it specifically a donation against gay marriage? Has he donated to other causes as well?
Anytime I see a lynch mob forming, I always get a bit skeptical of the details. Context matters as well.
This guy could be a grade A sack of shit, but I haven't seen many links to proof, just people regurgitating the same stuff over and over.
Edit: I probably should have researched on my own before posting but here is what I've read so far: he donated back in 2008 (haven't found a link of a source that proves it, but I've also not found anything refuting the claim, not even his blog posts). He did post this back in 2014 when the hubbub started: https://web.archive.org/web/20200708202554/https://brendaneich.com/2014/03/inclusiveness-at-mozilla/
Maybe the bar is lower now after the trump tenure, but that post seems to show some genuine self awareness and growth. I know my views about the world have grown, changed, matured, and become much more nuanced since 2008. Is it possible he has as well?
Has he done or said anything shitty since that single donation?
The issue is that Eich doesn't appear to think it's wrong for the state to strip same-sex couples of their equal right to marry. This is clear when you read the blog posts he wrote and how he words this, in addition to the fact that he simply never apologized.
Take his community-and-diversity blog post. He says
"So I do not insist that anyone agree with me on a great many things, including political issues, and I refrain from putting my personal beliefs in others’ way in all matters Mozilla, JS, and Web. I hope for the same in return."
Note that he says he won't force his personal beliefs on others "in all matters Mozilla, JS, and Web". In other words, he can still force his personal beliefs on others outside of those contexts.
Keep in mind, it's one thing to think its wrong for same-sex couples to start families but to also live and let live, it another thing to spend money so that the state will enforce that opinion on others.
If he had simply apologized for fueling the state's stripping of same-sex couples equal right to marry, this would have likely all blown over.
He did everything but take responsibility for that mistake, likely because he thinks stripping same-sex couples of their equal right to marry is desirable.