Antigay Conservatives Threaten Major
Corporations
GFN Holdings
December 7, 2005
Responding to threats from far-right conservative groups for their support
of the gay community, two major corporate entities, Ford Motor Co. and Wells
Fargo, took opposite action within the last week, with Ford acceding to one
groups' demands and Wells Fargo telling another it can, in effect, take
their business elsewhere.
The ultra-conservative Christian group Focus on the Family announced it has
closed its Wells Fargo accounts because the bank contributed to a gay rights
group that promised to use the funds to "fight ... the anti-gay industry."
"Focus on the Family has elected to end its banking relationship with Wells
Fargo, motivated primarily by the bank's ongoing efforts to advance the radical
homosexual agenda. These efforts are in direct opposition to the underlying
principles and purpose of Focus, and thus a decision of conscience had to be
made, and a stand taken," said a statement on the Focus Web site.
The group's anger stems, in part, from a fundraising plea the Gay
& Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation made on the Internet five months ago
that showed the Wells Fargo and GLAAD logos side by side above a large
headline: "Double your impact in the fight against the anti-gay industry."
GLAAD asserted in the ad that that Wells Fargo would match any contribution
to the organization dollar-for-dollar until July 2.
However, the claims in the ad were untrue. While Wells Fargo did make a
$50,000 contribution to GLAAD, it was not a matching gift, and Wells Fargo
never agreed to allow GLAAD to use the donation in a fundraising campaign.
Still, the bank made it clear it stood behind its support of the group and
other gay-related donations.
"We absolutely made a $50,000 grant to GLAAD, and we're absolutely proud of
our support for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community," Chris
Hammond, spokesman for the banking giant, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Hammond noted the bank gives about $2 million a year to gay and lesbian
organizations.
"That being said, we do support many communities, and we're proud to be a
diverse organization," Hammond added.
A Focus on the Family official would not disclose how much money the
organization kept with Wells Fargo, its primary bank, but said the nonprofit
group's income was $146 million last year.
Ford Motor Capitulates to Conservative's Demands
In June, the American Family Association threatened a boycott of Ford Motor
Co. "for supporting the homosexual agenda, including homosexual
‘marriage'" through its advertising and corporate promotion of gay
events.
After months of negotiating with the carmaker, AFA claimed a victory late
last week when the carmaker said it will not advertise its Jaguar and Land
Rover brands in gay publications.
Ford spokesman Mike Moran told the Advocate.com the move was strictly a
"business decision."
AFA, the far-right nonprofit run by the Rev. Donald Wildmon, criticized Ford
in June for offering to give up to $1,000 to GLAAD for every Jaguar and Land
Rover it sells to a member of GLAAD. The group also complained that Ford
sponsored gay pride celebrations and advertised in gay-oriented
publications.
In response, AFA created a Website, BoycottFord.com, promoting a petition
urging Ford to let the carmaker know they "will not be buying a Ford product
until they stop their promotion of the homosexual movement and homosexual
marriage."
The petition also admonished Ford to stop its diversity training,
sponsorship of gay events and organizations, and stop providing benefits to the
partners of its gay employees, because that was akin to "redefining the
definition of the family to include homosexual marriage."
Last week, AFA announced the threatened boycott would be canceled
altogether.
"They've heard our concerns; they are acting on our concerns. We are pleased
with where we are," said Wildmon, AFA's chairman, in a statement. "Therefore
the boycott that had been suspended [is] now officially ended."
Ford spokesman Mike Moran confirmed last week that the company would no
longer advertise Jaguar and Land Rover products in the gay media, saying that
the decision was strictly "business." Specific terms of any formal agreement
between the AFA and Ford, however, are unknown, but said the decision came
after a "constructive dialogue" with the Christian group.
The fight against Ford is just one of many AFA has going. According to the
group's Web site, it has called for action against the Carl's Jr. hamburger
chain (to protest a racy ad featuring Paris Hilton), Kraft Foods (for its
sponsorship of the 2006 Gay Games), Mary Kay Cosmetics and Old Navy stores (for
advertising on ABC's "Desperate Housewives") and NutriSystem Inc., the
weight-loss company (for airing "salacious" TV ads).
In the past, AFA has taken on Crest toothpaste, Volkswagen, Tide detergent,
Clorox bleach, Pampers, MTV, Abercrombie & Fitch, K-Mart, Burger King,
American Airlines and S.C. Johnson & Son, makers of Windex, Ziploc, Pledge,
Glade and Edge, for a variety of issues deemed offensive to the group's moral
compass.
Most recently, the AFA ended a nine-year boycott of the Walt Disney Co.,
which it launched because of what it felt was the company's "attitude,
arrogance and embrace of the homosexual lifestyle."
The AFA said it was moving on because "we have made our point." Disney,
however, reported during the boycott company profits continued to rise,
unaffected by the efforts of the AFA.
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