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Loading ...McDonald’s Caves In To Anti-Gay Group Demands
10.10.2008 1:05pm EDT
(New York City) The American Family Association is calling off a boycott of McDonald’s after the fast-food giant agreed to end its support for the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
In addition, a company employee appointed to the chamber’s board of directors has resigned.McDonald’s incurred the wrath of the AFA after it made a $20,000 donation to the chamber, and Richard Ellis, who until last month was vice president of communications for the chain, was named to the chamber’s
board of directors.
The company at first resisted AFA’s demands that it sever ties with the chamber. In a July response to the conservative group that fights LGBT issues nationwide, McDonald’s Global Chief Diversity Officer Pat Harris said: "We have a well-established and proud heritage of associating with individuals and organizations that share our belief that every person has the right to live and work in their community free of discrimination."
But now in an e-mailed memo to franchise holders, the company said it has dropped ties with the chamber.
"It is our policy to not be involved in political and social issues. McDonald’s remains neutral on same-sex marriage or any ‘homosexual agenda’ as defined by the American Family Association."
Richard Ellis is no longer with corporate headquarters. He is now with the company’s Canadian operation.
The e-mail said that Ellis stepped down from the chamber’s board "voluntarily."
"We appreciate the decision by McDonald’s to no longer support political activity by homosexual activist organizations," the AFA said in a statement to its members calling off the boycott.
The AFA previously boycotted Disney for several year’s over its support for Gay Days at Disney World, although the company was not an official sponsor of the event.
It boycotted Cincinnati-based Proctor and Gamble over the company’s support for the repeal of a city charter amendment that prevented Cincinnati city council from enacting any laws that would recognize gays and lesbians.
The group boycotted Kraft for its support of the Chicago Gay Games and threatened to boycott Wal-Mart over its involvement with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
The boycotts resulted in little impact on the companies.
The AFA boycott of Ford was heralded as a success by the organization which noted that it had resulted in a drop in sales and share value. But most financial analysts said that Ford’s problems were really the result of vehicle designs that failed to impress the public.
The conservative Christian group launched a nationwide boycott of Ford in 2005 over the automaker’s support for LGBT issues, briefly put it on hold, and then reinstated it.
The AFA claimed victory when Ford began pulling its ads from LGBT publications, but industry observers and the company said the ad pullout was part of a downsizing of expenses.
I really don’t think boycotts have much of an affect on corporations. What does have an affect is negative publicity. McDonald’s stance as only being involved in “light and fluffy social issues” could backfire big. I, like others, forwarded my displeasure to McDonald’s Corporate. I also forwarded the email to friends and family.
I can assure that I will not be dining at the Golden Arches any time soon.
McDonald’s far too big a company serving customers around the world to be bothered by some fringe crackpot group,
Apart from its junk food, I have lost all respect for McDonald’s. I had some respect when it stood up before to ADA, but now that is over with. I will go to shops known to be gay-friendly at the corporate level and I stay away from McDonalds and will ask my friends to avoid McD as well.
They went from “I’m lovin’ it” to “I’m full of it”
COWARDS !!! GROW SOME BALLS !!!!!!!!!!
I never liked their food much anyway.
Speak for yourselves, gentlemen/ladies. I eat — now, “ate” — occasionally from the dollar menu because it IS fast and (from the dollar menu) inexpensive, both being important. But of course what’s more important now is the surrender to the forces of darkness.
Boycott.
OMG! Let them have McD’s. Most sensible GLBT people dont eat that crap anyhow. Any company that caves into the AFA may as well sleep with the devil himself.
I have sent an email to McDonalds and cc’d my entire distribution list informing them of my disappointment as well as my committment to not spend another dime at any of their franchises. Not that I expect it to have an impact, but the more of us that let our voices be heard, not just to them but to our straight allies as well, maybe they will wise-up and take notice.
What’s up with this boycott? Why are you guys eating at McDonald’s to begin with? As gay men you should be ashamed of youselves. I thought we boycotted ALL fastfood when we learned of the thousands of calories and copious amounts of sodium in their food. As Caitlyn said, they’re gross.
Bye McDonalds…………….You said bye to your own backbone, and I say goodbye to your food. No more, good bye, so sorry you cannot them AFA in the instead, and say goodbye.
Don’t run so fast to Wendy’s, my friends. They advocate for adoption, but NOT the gay parent kind. They are staunchly opposed to that.
There are so many other fast food places to eat. I will never again eat at nasty McDonalds. They have flip flopped so I am going to flip flopp and eat wendys.
Who cares? McDonalds is disgusting, anyway.
AFA is a bully. Gay rights have no negative or positive effect on them, but they do on us. So they bully other to take a neutral stance on their bullying. But what… you have to be tolerant of us… LOL
BOYCOTT MCDONALDS. And we really should support Ford for standing and still standing up to these clowns.