EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story accidentally called CVN by an acronym used by the home shopping network QVC. We apologize to our readers and QVC for this error.
Today Microsoft announced that it would end its relationship with the “Christian Values Network,” an online service that raises money for various religious groups from the purchase of over 600 companies’ goods and services. Microsoft might have stayed in, except some of those religious groups are actually anti-gay hate groups. So what will the 600 other companies do?
Whenever someone uses CVN to purchase from one of the 600 companies (such as Avon, Apple, Radio Shack, Six Flags, Guitar Center, Banana Republic and ESPN), shoppers can donate a small percentage of the price to CVN’s over 170,000 charities. But QNotes points out the big problem with some of CVN’s charities:
“Among the groups using the Christian Values Network to raise money are Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, Summit Ministries, Abiding Truth Ministries, and the Liberty Counsel. Each organization has been identified as an anti-gay “hate group” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.”
Whoops. So while Stuart Wilber’s Change.org petition convinced Microsoft to pull out from the program, we actually think that it’s CVN that needs to clean house.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Surely their thousands of other charities do good work without perpetuating violence against the LGBT community. If they wanna show support for their business partners and their queer consumers, CVN should kick the hate organizations out from its program. If not, either the companies or we the queer community should pressure CVN to do what’s right.
In other bad company news, the shoe company TOMS—a footwear company famous for donating pairs of shoes to African kids with every purchase—has apparently partnered up with Focus on the Family, another hate group.
Oh TOMS and company… if only you could walk several hundred miles in our shoes.
24HOURhomowatch
BOYCOTT THEM AND STOP COMPLAINING
Juha
Why? They are companies. Why? It is USA
TMikel
BOYCOTT! Juha, I don’t know if you are a self-loathing gay or lesbian, or if you are just that stupid. Perhaps you are actually a fundamentalist breeder. I would expect your comment from that ilk.
Sweetbrandigirl2004
What is the CGBG I clicked on the link and it says
( Just by shopping, without adding any additional cost to you! Your chosen organization will receive a percentage of the purchases you make online from over 700 participating online stores )
Are there LGBT organization we can choose ?
C.V.X
Confused…by ‘QVC’ does the writer mean ‘CVN’?
bad sources
hello kitty and queerty are hate groups according to Southern Poverty Law Center
Tommy Marx
I called Wells Fargo and gave them two weeks to pull out of this shit. I would prefer to bank with someone that is not the ONLY financial institution associated with these assholes (I’m talking about you Michael Lohan and Stephen Baldwin). If a bank wants to see me dead because I like sucking dick, I would prefer banking with a company that could give a shit who I am attracted to. But that’s just me.
Daniel Villarreal
I have deleted Fitz’s racist threat. We will not tolerate such hateful comments and we will ban repeat offenders. No excuses.
Benjamin
@Yakohv: Are you lost? You come to a gay website and complain about gay people? I mean wow. Know your audience. There are loads of places where you can go spew your bigotry with impunity, but this isn’t one of them. Feel free to fuck off.
Jakey
@Yakohv: So, interesting way to spell that name. You sure you’re Jewish? Because I’m suddenly having trouble believing you’re not just trolling.
Chris
@C.V.X: Me too, I am confused as to what qvc has to do with it and why they need to clean house. Do they administer the program or something?
Cam
@Yakohv:
You’re a liar, you aren’t liberal and you aren’t Jewish, that is a typical tactic from hate groups, you come on and pretend that you are a member of two other groups that you hate.
Cam
@bad sources: said…
hello kitty and queerty are hate groups according to Southern Poverty Law Center
___________________________________________________
Nice try liar. They have to fit the followign qualifications before they will be classed a hate group…….All hate groups have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.
RuBrawl
This TOMS situation is a mess. It’s kind of funny, actually – while reading this I got a TOMS ad in the Queerty sidebar.
It’s getting harder and harder to avoid all the corporations associated with bigotry. I appreciate that Queerty is staying on top of keeping us informed.
Adman
The trolls on this site are seriously no older than 13, 14 tops. I guess it’s their first high school job, trolling online for Dobson. Sick shit, man.
alan Balehead
Reese Witherspoon works with Avon…she said she didn’t care…..
Jose Ventura
Oh hell na. Toms need to check itself!
patrick
Please clarify the connection between CVN and QVC.
This is probably an editing error – but it’s kind of a big one. And this post has been up for over 24 hours.
UWSguy
We need to get the world out about this outrage
Pat Duffy
They were around in the BBS days and will be with us FOREVER. I always find it Interesting how members of “Good” religions like Christianity have no problems Lying when it’s to their advantage. But it’s for a “Good” cause so that makes it all right in Cheezit’s Name right?
David Gervais
Speaking of bad sources:
Queerty and Hello Kitty are NOT listed as hate groups at http://www.splcenter.org/
David Gervais
Perhaps bad sources should read the comments policy. (link below)
From the policy:
“PROHIBITED. OR: “WHAT CONSTITUTES ‘ABUSE?’”
Don’t post hate speech. Don’t incite violence. Don’t defame anyone. And also: Don’t be a total dick.”
I think bad sources has violated items 3 and 4 of the list.
I think repeated lying* should be grounds for suspension for a while. Perhaps a week?
*(he/she/it has posted exactly the same phrase before)
What do the other readers think?
Steve
TOMS has disavowed their connection with FoF. You might want to update this post.
Abirdwillingtobeitself
Gervais, what bad sources said was obviously a joke. You can flag the less obvious trolls who might actually mean what they say.
Rich
Has anyone started a petition to send to these companies?
Maria
The one thing you continually say about these groups is they are hate groups. The only group I see protraying hate, is yourselves.
Joe
@Maria: Then you need to open your eyes a little wider, Maria.
Jeffree
@Maria: “These groups” oppose civil rights: marriage equality, employment protection, equal taxation, etc. They also spread lies about LGBT people. That is why they are termed “hate groups.”
Read a little history: learn about women in the US were denied & eventually got the right to vote, how mixed-race marriage was illegal in the US, and couples were jailed. This was all based on beliefs & *lies* that women were inferior to men, and Blacks less human than whites.
Can you call groups opposed to equality “neutral” or “loving” or “objective”? No. That’s why they’re hate groups.
Carson
There is a petition you can sign regarding this petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/michael-lohan-stop-supporting-anti-gay-hate-groups
Please sign!
Haightmale
Please join the boycott!
http://www.jiveinthe415.com/2011/08/call-to-action-boycott-retailers.html