The Top 22 Gay Marriage Supporters in Business Today

This week, the Supreme Court is hearing two landmark cases on the issue of same-sex marriage that may change the current government definition of marriage as we know it. The heavy-hitters who have financed the battle to legalize same-sex marriage is a politically diverse group of business people that may shock some. Democratic and Republican donors are equally represented on Benzinga's list of top financiers for the cause, with many Republicans displaying a libertarian streak by joining progressives in endorsing same-sex marriage proposals in states across the country with millions of dollars in support. Here are the big names you need to know:

A quantitative financial theorist who founded a systematic trading hedge fund in his time at

, Asness currently runs his hedge fund in AQR Capital Management. Asness

with four other wealthy Republicans, providing a pivotal $1.5 million donation to the "Win More States Fund" of the New York-based Freedom to Marry. The five wealthy libertarian Republicans are considered to be the major financiers of the successful effort to legalize same-sex marriage in New York state.

As

in our list of Top Libertarian CEOs in Business Today, the

CEO made his biggest splash in activism to-date with a record $2.5 million contribution to defend Washington state's same-sex marriage law in 2012.

A billionaire Republican and former federal prosecutor who served as New York governor Andrew Cuomo's right-hand man,

with "direct[ing] the administration's effort to legalize same-sex marriage."

In 2012, the diehard progressive Gates and his fellow

co-founder Steve Ballmer

same-sex marriage in Washington, contributing $100,000 each. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

The openly gay media mogul and billionaire David Geffen has

to support gay marriage efforts in California. Outside of several record companies, Geffen was one of three founders of DreamWorks Studios, now owned by

.

Colorado software millionaire Tim Gill founded Quark Inc., in 2004. An extremely dedicated activist, Gill committed

in support of LGBT issues in 2006 alone, and in 2010,

for a pro-LGBT organization he founded. More recently, Gill put down

to defeat local Colorado candidates who opposed same-sex marriage.

The chairman of insurance giant

is a diehard liberal donor who also happens to have a son that is homosexual. For years, he's

to support the same-sex marriage cause.

Loeb is a

investor who now runs Third Point LLC, a New York-based hedge fund with $11.6 billion in assets. Loeb joined Asness, Cohen and two other billionaire Republicans with liberal social views,

a $1.5 million donation that helped fuel New York's same-sex marriage victory in 2012.

The billionaire chairman of

-- once CEO of the company -- has been an active financier of gay marriage campaigns. In 2008, he

the movement against Proposition 8 in California.

Moritz is a big-time venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital, whose investments have included

,

,

,

and many others. In 2008, he was

favoring marriage equality in California.

The founder of

, Omidyar has become a dedicated philanthropist,

the "No on 8" movement and attaching his name to the petition urging California voters to support marriage equality. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

The

co-founders have been

of same-sex marriage. In 2008, Bern and Page donated $100,000 and $40,000, respectively, to defeat Proposition 8.

Conservative billionaire Steven Roth is a real estate developer and has a son that is homosexual. Together with his wife, the Roth family has donated a total of $33,600,

Republican New York state senators who backed same-sex marriage.

Schmidt is the Executive Chairman at Google, serving as the tech giant's CEO from 2001 to 2011. A major Obama supporter, Schmidt attached his name

to the "No on 8" petition featuring tech giants like eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and venture capitalist Michael Moritz. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

The

CEO made

in the last few days for taking on a stakeholder who didn't like Schultz's public endorsement of same-sex marriage. The company, in an effort spearheaded by Schultz, defended Washington state's same-sex marriage provisions in 2012.

Like Roth, Singer also has a gay son. Despite his support of Mitt Romney in 2012, the head of Elliott Management Corporation -- a hedge fund -- joined

four other Republican donors including Cliff Asness, contributing $1.5 million toward legalizing gay marriage in New York state. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

Skoll was once the president at eBay. He was also one of the bigger names who

Proposition 8 in California, which would have outlawed same-sex marriage.

The heir of Kalamazoo, Michigan-based

founder Homer, Jon and his sister

a combined $1.85 million in efforts to legalize same-sex marriage back in 2006. In 2010,

$602,000 in support of LGBT rights and two years later, he gave

to defeat a Minnesota measure which would have made same-sex marriage illegal.

The founder of PayPal is an openly gay libertarian who has been

in causes to legalize his same-sex marriage. Thiel also helped found GOProud, an organization representing conservative/libertarian gays, lesbians and their allies. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

Yahoo's co-founders, Yang and Filo,

Pierre Omidyar, Eric Schmidt and others in their backing of the "No on 8" movement that opposed California's Proposition 8 back in 2008.