SEATTLE, WA – Retailer Nordstrom has announced its support for marriage equality. The Seattle-based brand sent out a company-wide memo last week, written by CEO Blake Nordstrom and co-signed by brothers Erik and Pete Nordstrom that spelled out the luxury chain’s “philosophical approach” to business, which includes a workplace where “every employee is welcomed and respected.”

Although the company currently offers domestic partnership benefits to its same-sex employees, “We feel the next step in this journey is to now support freedom to marry, also called marriage equality,” wrote Nordstrom. “We gave this thoughtful consideration and felt the time was right to come out in support of this civil rights issue,” he explained.

“It is our belief that our gay and lesbian employees are entitled to the same rights and protections marriage provides as all our employees,” Nordstrom added, noting that “the decision is consistent with our longtime philosophy of inclusivity and equality.”

The retailer joins other Washington-based corporations, including Amazon.com and Starbucks, in supporting the state’s Referendum 74, which would legalize marriage equality.

Other Fortune 500 companies are likewise actively proclaiming their courtship for LGBT customers, and support for LGBT rights. This year, retailer JC Penney hired openly-gay talk show host Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson, and Kraft Foods recently posted a rainbow-colored Oreo cookie on its Facebook page.