...EchoStar Communications Inc.'s proxy includes the question of whether the company's gay employees should be shielded from discrimination...EchoStar's board recommends that shareholders vote against the measure..."This does not mean that we don't share the proponents' interest in preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation," EchoStar's board said in its SEC filing. "The board believes that adding to our written policy additional special categories which are not prohibited by federal law undercuts our objective of highlighting federally prohibited activities." [refers to policies against sexual orientation discrimination at Comcast, DirecTV, Winn-Dixie, FedEx, lack of such policies at Delta Airlines, ExxonMobil; also refers to News Corp]