After threatening to sue gay blogs including Bilerico.com and Change.org, Rockstar Energy Drink is performing an about-face — and donating money to gay groups!
Founded by Russell Weiner, the son of bigot radio host Mike Savage, caffeine pusher Rockstar made defamation claims against the sites for intimating Rockstar is tied to Savage, and that Savage profits from Rockstar sales. In fact, Savage only “advised” his son on the drink and not the company, the beverage maker now claims.
And rather than take a few websites to court, Rockstar has pounced on an opportunity to make nice with the community: It says it will donate $100,000 cash, spread amongst the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, GLSEN, and the Trever Project. (The company also notes in a release that it “will continue to offer domestic partnership benefits to LGBT employees, a company policy that has been in place since ROCKSTAR Energy Drink was founded in 2000.”)
Listen up, corporations: This is how you work with the gay community. What we’re impressed with is not only Rockstar’s financial commitment to gay organizations, but that it became publicly angry over any connection made between the company and the vile person that is Mike Savage. Sure, it was a response to bad PR, but it also could have sidestepped the connection between Savage and the company’s founder.
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.
No, threatening a lawsuit is not how to correct the matter, but we’re glad to see a dialogue between Rockstar and the blogs bore this positive outcome.
Though, one (rather significant) question remains: Russell’s mother Janet, who is married to Mike Savage, is still the CFO of the company, right? So in fact Savage does benefit from Rockstar’s sales, if only because his wife draws a salary from the company. In a press release, Russell says, “On behalf of our company and directors, including myself and CFO Janet Weiner, I would like to take this opportunity to disavow any offensive statements directed toward LGBT people, including statements from Michael Savage.” We’re still confused.
(Full press release here.)
(Photo via)
Bil Browning
Thanks for covering this. My post on it for Bilerico Project is at: http://www.bilerico.com/2009/07/rockstar_energy_drink_goes_gay-friendly.php
To answer your question: Yes, Savage’s wife, Janet Weiner, is the CFO of Rockstar. In the release she – along with his son, Russ Weiner – disavow his statements and say that don’t condone hateful, violent speech like Savage has been spewing.
Not very often you see that happen…
echelon
Great turnaround by Rockstar. It’s always tempting to go the negative route. See their release here: http://www.echelonmagazine.com/index.php?id=1012
Richard in DC
Just because Ms. Weiner’s husband is a bigot, doesn’t mean that she is one herself. Spouses of bigots have the right to a livelihood.
Fitz
I am impressed. The cynical side of me really thought that they were going to embrace this whole thing, in a Mike Savage kind of way, and make their product “the drink for straight men”.
Hey Barak, did you hear about this? Someone DID something to appease the faggots, and they responded.
HayYall
Didn’t drink it before, won’t drink it now, and if his wife is CFO you can bet your ass he’s getting part of it. Nice olive branch, but you can just hang onto it.
me
i heard michael savage is a secret (closet?) liberal who profits from entertaining the far far right with his conservative act
Joanaroo
Thanks to the blogs for the info. Knowing a product’s background, company people and any cause is helpful. Am a teetotaler now but had stopped drinking Coors Light when I found out Coors Brewery backed GOP causes and members.
Alex
Good to hear, and though the fact that two of the orgs advocate for kids smacks of marketing. They’re both great groups, and the fact that they’re getting 30 grand plus is great. On one hand I would love to see companies marketing to gay kids. On the other hand, all of these energy drinks are seriously not good for you, and can have some pretty serious side effects.
Jake the libertarian
@me:
Frankly there is a lot about Michael Savage that I don’t understand. And I don’t mean that in the sense that he is a racist, crazy, homophobic, nutter butter. I understand that fine…
I don’t understand his relationship with Alan Ginsburg in the ’60s. I don’t understand the weird food stuff he’s into. I don’t understand his family dynamic. Frankly it all just makes no sense at all. I mean why would a guy flee the liberal gay lifestyle of the East Village and move to San Francisco? I really can’t wrap my head around this guy and if it’s all some very strange piece of performance art, that makes as much sense as anything.
sal(the original)
hope they give the money to organizations that help people who are attacked by jerks who listen and feed off of their idiot relative words
drew brown
Just to confirm, the CFO is still married to Michael Savage, right? So how does a check for $100,000, presumably a fraction of the annual salary she brings to their joint tax returns, change that? I’m lost.
John
I’ll stick with MONSTER energy drink thanks. I would rather see Michael Savage, the wife of Michael Savage AND his entire family including his son who owns the company, go bankrupt and disappear. $100,000? thats SHIT compared to the amount of people who have been negatively affected by Savage and his hate speech. I have a feeling that family has pasted on an insincere smile and offered up the money as a way to get tons of publicity and sell more product.
unclemike
@John: John, I totally agree with you. I spent many years in SF, listening to that big bag of wind. And his son was right there, introducing him at functions, and parroting his garbage.
Rockstar will never get one penny from me.
Fitz
And a total aside to all this: these drinks are just awful for you.
KyleR
Why anyone drinks Rock Star is beyond me. That stuff is VILE!!!
Dave
Just don’t drink it for health reasons. That stuff is killer on your body. Have a natural fruit juice or something.
mb00
@John: @unclemike:
I agree with the both of you. I wouldn’t drop a dime on them. And that $100K, totally tax deductible. It’s just another strategy on their part to take our money and still get a tax brake for their “donation”.
You want energy? Drink coffee like the rest of us.
Dave
Has anyone thought about getting a response from Michael? I would just love to hear him going off about his son and his wife disavowing him.
nobody
so you all are proud to be an ass pounder…. or a cock sucker, or a muff diver…. or whatever you do that you think you have to be up in peoples faces with, you people are the most self serving narcissistic group on the planet.
you all are by definition ‘abnormal’.
you are liars and deceivers, there is nothing ‘gay’ about what you do to get your jollies.
you people are the bigots.
Ricky
@ No. 19 – sweetie, go back to being what your tag so clearly spells out about you…