McDonald's is defending itself for its
support of the GLBT community after Christian group American Family
Association (AFA) announced a boycott of the company yesterday.
The AFA has launched a new website
denouncing McDonald's for its support of the GLBT community. The
website, found at www.boycottmcdonalds.com, says the boycott of
McDonald's is about the company refusing to remain neutral in the
culture wars. “McDonald's has chosen not to remain neutral but
give the full weight of their corporation to promoting the homosexual
agenda, including homosexual marriage.”
The scuffle began when AFA officials
found out that McDonald's' Director of Communications Richard Ellis
was a board member of the National Gay Lesbian Chamber Of Commerce
(NGLCC), in addition McDonald's is a member and has donated to the
organization.
The group asked McDonald's to removed
itself from the chamber.
In a letter to the AFA, McDonald's
officials expressed continued support to the GLBT community. “We
will continue to support our people and their right to live and work
in an inclusive society.”
In March, the association ended its
two-year boycott against Ford Motor Company after it stopped
advertising in the gay media. The automaker, however, has said it
stopped running all niche advertising when the economy soured.
The association, founded in 1977 by
Rev. Donald Wildmon, has a long history of objecting to equal rights
for gays and lesbians. It has lobbied against gay marriage and
hate-crime legislation that would benefit gays
The AFA has also supported the “ex-gay”
movement, which believes gays and lesbians need to reaffirm their
belief in God by removing their same-sex attractions. They believe
this is possible through religious means, including group
discussions, counseling, Bible reading and prayer.
Challenging the notion that gays need
to change is the group Truth Wins Out (TWO). A blog post on the
group's website by its executive director, Wayne Besen, said:
“McDonald's is not promoting a “gay agenda.” They are simply
supporting equality for all people in the workplace... The group
[AFA] is all hat and no cattle and has emerged as one of the most
dishonest groups on the far right fringe.”