A Father's Day ad for retailer JCPenney
features a “real-life” gay couple and their children.
The copy of the ad, titled First
Pals, reads: “What makes Dad so cool? He's the swim coach,
tent maker, best friend, bike fixer and hug giver – all rolled into
one. Or two.”
Pictured in the ad are “real-life
dads Todd Koch and Cooper Smith with their children, Claire and
Mason.”
The group One Million Moms, which is
closely associated with the Christian conservative group American
Family Association (AFA), in February called on JCPenney to fire
comedian Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson because she is openly
gay.
“Funny that JCPenney thinks hiring an
open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of
its customers are traditional families,” the group said on its
website.
JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson stood by
DeGeneres, saying she was the “perfect” spokesperson for his
company. “We thought Ellen would be the perfect person because we
all kind of trust her. You know, she's a very honest,
straightforward person with extraordinary values,” he said.
(Related: Ellen
DeGeneres calls One Million Moms “haters;” Cheers Prop 8 ruling.)