Posted January 16th, 2012 by Wayne Besen
Posted February 9th, 2011 by Wayne Besen
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Wayne Besen,
Phone: 917-691-5118
E-mail: wbesen@truthwinsout.org
Companies Should No Longer Pay Attention to Boycott Threats From Certified Hate Group
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Truth Wins Out condemned the American Family Association (AFA) today for writing a remarkably bigoted article titled, “Native Americans Morally Disqualified Themselves From the Land.” The AFA is best known for its anti-gay activism and launch of boycotts against companies that it deems too gay-friendly. The latest op-ed by the organization’s spokesperson, Bryan Fischer, provides yet another reason why corporations should ignore pressure campaigns by the AFA.
“We are appalled by the American Family Association’s reprehensible remarks that distort history and demean Native Americans,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “Responsible companies should no longer give The American Family Association the time of day and their boycott threats should be ignored. This organization has shown itself unfit to be part of the adult conversation and it certainly does not represent the majority of families.”
The American Family Association was recently certified as an official hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Fischer’s latest column provides evidence that this was a wise decision by SPLC.
“In all the discussions about the European settlement of the New World, one feature has been conspicuously absent: the role that the superstition, savagery and sexual immorality of native Americans played in making them morally disqualified from sovereign control of American soil,” Bryan Fischer wrote on the website, “Rightly Concerned” a project of The American Family Association.
“This nauseating rhetoric is usually reserved for LGBT people, but apparently the American Family Association has more than one group it likes to dehumanize,” said Truth Wins Out’s Wayne Besen. “The true character of the AFA has been revealed and no corporation or politician can pretend that this group has even a shard of credibility. The only reasonable response to AFA threats is to not return their calls and pretend they don’t exist.”
The AFA is a Tupelo, Mississippi-based organization known for launching failed boycotts against companies such as The Walt Disney Company, Home Depot, Wal Mart, Ford Motor Company and McDonald’s. The group’s once accused Mighty Mouse of snorting cocaine.
Writers for AFA’s website include Chuck Norris, Janet Porter, David Limbaugh and Rev. Rey Pritchard.
Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that fights anti-LGBT religious extremism. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for LGBT equality.
Posted January 3rd, 2010 by Wayne Besen
Social conservatives are apoplectic because the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is allowing the LGBT organization GOProud to co-sponsor the annual Washington event. Once again, the self-righteous morality police are doing everything in their power to undermine the Republican Party and shrink the already shrunken tent.
Mark Barna reports in The Gazette that GOProud supports gay rights and marriage, but still considers itself a conservative Republican group because it is for smaller government, lower taxes and strong national defense. Still, this is not enough for anti-gay organizations that demand party purity.
“We’re fully engaged in making our objection known, both to the CPAC committee and to the parent organization, the American Conservative Union,” said Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy for Focus Action, the political arm of Focus on the Family. Minnery did not say if Focus Action would pull out of CPAC if GOProud remained a co-sponsor.
Gary Glenn, president of the faith-based American Family Association of Michigan, said GOProud’ inclusion is a mockery. “It does damage when CPAC gives its seal of approval of a group exploring a hard-left agenda,” Glenn said.
Kevin Roberts is executive director of Catholic Families for America, a CPAC co-sponsor. He told Barna that he will make his displeasure known over the inclusion of the gay-rights group during his CPAC speech. “I will be speaking on traditional values (during my speech),” Roberts said.
I don’t suppose Roberts’ speech will include chastising priests for sexually molesting children and how the Catholic Church covered up such heinous crimes. After the church spent billions of dollars paying off victims, I’m really in no mood to hear some Catholic ideologue lecture me on traditional values. Roberts and others of his ilk have no moral authority to discuss such topics. He can do us all a favor and save his breath.
Formed in April, GOProud has 2,000 members who believe fiscal conservatism can exist alongside gay rights activism. Jimmy LaSalvia formed the Washington. D.C.-based group after learning that 1.3 million gays voted for Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.
Whatever one thinks of LGBT Republicans, it is good to see GOProud stand up for itself and demand a place at the Republican table. In doing so, it may just save the party from destroying itself by kowtowing to an intolerant group of narrow-minded zealots. If the GOP were smart, it would embrace diversity and tell the fundamentalists that they are part of a broader coalition and that they do not own the party. Only by widening the circle of supporters (gays, city dwellers, immigrants, African Americans, young people) will the Republican Party remain viable in the future.
