Amazon stopped selling Ryan Anderson’s book “When Harry Became Sally” on charges of treating transgender identity as a mental illness (1). Amazon Web Services removed Parler’s web presence over concerns of violent speech just as Parler was growing among conservatives (2). Amazon has also hindered the release of documentaries by or about black conservatives, namely Clarence Thomas (“Created Equal” was removed from the Amazon Prime streaming service) and Shelby Steele (“What Killed Michael Brown” was delayed without reason) (3). Amazon also has banned other conservative books, such as Alex Berenson’s book on COVID-19 lockdowns, which was “accidentally” banned (4). It removed Matt Walsh’s previously best-selling children’s book from its online retail store (5). Amazon declined to run paid ads for Matt Walsh’s “What is a Woman” book as well, stating that “we don’t allow content that appears to infer or claim to diagnose, treat, reverse or question sexual orientation” (6). The company received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Among other requirements, this means Amazon has pledged to vet vendors based on LGBTQ policies (7). Amazon’s new “inclusion policy” sets benchmarks for casting, including “30% white women and non-binary people, 20% men from underrepresented races and ethnicities, 20% women and non-binary people from underrepresented races and ethnicities,” indicating that the company bases its hiring practices on identity politics rather than merit (8). Amazon-owned Twitch is a Select Partner of the Global Disinformation Index, which has withheld advertising funds from conservative news outlets (9)(10).

Amazon does not have an employee matching program but does donate through AmazonSmile, a program that has labeled Christian groups like Alliance Defending Freedom as hate groups (1). Amazon will retire its AmazonSmile program in February 2023 (2). Amazon claims to work with 28,000 faith-based nonprofits through their Amazon Business reduced rates for charities but continues to work with the SPLC  to allow certain nonprofits and not others selectively. (3).

Amazon does not protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).

Amazon has clearly voiced support for various ideological causes, including increased minimum wage and police reform legislation (1). Amazon has joined the Business Coalition for the Equality Act and advocates for transgender participation in girls and women’s sports (2)(3). Additionally, Amazon publicly referred to laws like Georgia’s voting integrity law as an effort to disenfranchise black voters (4). Amazon opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (5).

Amazon funds many ideological groups hostile to freedom of expression like the American Civil Liberties Union and Black Lives Matter, and the company is a Platinum Sponsor of the HRC (1)(2). In response to the leaked draft ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Amazon announced it would pay for employees’ abortion-related travel (3).

Amazon has used its political contributions to support ideological groups unrelated to business interests, including the CA LGBTQ Caucus and Equality California (1)(2).