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7 Companies Anti-Gay Groups Are Boycotting (And You Should Be Buying From)

By Dan Avery July 2, 2012 at 6:01am · Updated on January 29, 2024
The subject of boycotts has come a lot lately: Last weekend, Oreo angered anti-gay groups like One Million Moms by posting a fairly innocuous message on Facebook that invited everyone to “proudly support love.” Of course to OMM that was tantamount to stamping “marriage equality now” on Chewy Chips Ahoy:
Oreo (Kraft Foods) is joining others in supporting Gay Pride. This month is LBGT Pride month and only time will tell if Oreo’s support will continue. The company announced its support for same sex marriage on the Oreo Cookie Facebook page with a picture of a rainbow version of their famous cookie. Oreo’s Facebook thread read, “Proudly Support Love!” with a graphic that read “June 25| Pride”. The cookie maker is quick to point out that the picture is simply an ad, and doesn’t depict a true product. But it announced to American consumers where it stands on the controversial “gay” marriage issue nonetheless. Homosexuals are weighing in, hoping Oreo makes the fake cookie real.
Kraft just posted a rainbow Oreo and said “support love.” We didn’t see anything about marriage anywhere. Let that be a reminder: Whenever anyone says they’re fine with LGBT people, they just don’t want to “redefine” their precious institution, they really mean they don’t want us to exist. Everything else is just a smokescreen. Aaaaanyway, this all got us thinking about how recently some corporations have put themselves in the crosshairs just by acknowledging we’re part of their customer base. So instead of telling you which companies and stores to boycott, we thought we’d mention some corporations that are standing by the LGBT community—and getting flak for it. Click through to find out which companies the  homophobic activist groups are boycotting  (and why you should make it your business to give them your business).  
JCPenney JCPenny ticked off One Million Moms by hiring Ellen DeGeneres, who apparently is some kind of open lesbian person, as a spokesperson. OMM called for a boycott, warning that “JCP’s freefall should serve as a warning to other companies before they decide to cater to homosexuals and their sinful lifestyle choices.” They claim the boycott’s working—that it’s responsible for the departure of president Michael Francis and for sluggish sales in the company’s first quarter. It’s more likely JCP was doing poorly and thought hiring the most beloved entertainment personality in America today would help. But OMM claims “this loss should tell companies that siding with radical homosexuals has its price.” Yeah, “radical” is not one of the words most people associate with Ellen. At any rate, JCP stood up to the boycott and stood behind the affable talk-show host—and included some gay friendly ads for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  So show you’re behind Penney by shopping there. What to get: A shower curtain. That old one is tired anyway, and they’ve got a cute Star Burst Floral Azure Fabric Shower Curtain for just $22. Splurge and get a new liner, too. That old one has black crap on it and you know you’re never gonna clean it.
Archie Comics If you follow comic books, then you may know that Archie Comics has been breaking new ground lately with Kevin Keller, a gay character who has joined the Riverdale gang a few years back—and has even gotten his own series. In Life with Archie #16, a story set in the future, Kevin is a war hero who marries his African-American boyfriend. As you can imagine, the American Family Association had a seizure over the whole thing. They called for a boycott against Archie Comics (and Toys R Us for carrying the issue). Archie Comics was not having it. CEO Jon Goldwater stated:
“We stand by Life with Archie #16. As I’ve said before, Riverdale is a safe, welcoming place that does not judge anyone. It’s an idealized version of America that will hopefully become reality someday. We’re sorry the American Family Association/OneMillionMoms.com feels so negatively about our product, but they have every right to their opinion, just like we have the right to stand by ours. Kevin Keller will forever be a part of Riverdale and he will live a happy, long life free of prejudice, hate and narrow-minded people.”
Burn! But let’s face it: The print-media business is hurtin’, and even the handful of yahoos who burned their copies of Betty & Veronica did some damage. So go to your local nerd den and balance the scales. What to buy:  The hardcover Kevin Keller graphic novel (which includes Kevin’s miniseries and his debut issue, Veronica #202) and a subscription to the Kevin Keller comic.  
Starbucks Trouble started brewing when the Seattle-based coffee company came out in support of marriage equality in Washington State: The National Organization for Marriage announced a Dump Starbucks campaign in March. (One moron took it literally and bought a coffee, then poured it into the gutter. Poor idiot.)  Not only is the ban failing, it’s backfiring: SumOfUs got well over 550,000 people to sign its retaliatory “Thank You, Starbucks” card, as compared to the paltry 45,230 who signed NOM’s petition. After being questioned by a NOM lackey, an eloquent Starbucks spokesman replied: “To be candid with you, it was not something that was a difficult decision for us. [Applause.] We made that decision through the lens of humanity and being the company that embraces diversity.” This one isn’t even a request—you’re going to Starbucks anyway. Now at least you know that $5.75 for an iced mocha is going toward supporting an ally. What to buy: A pound of Starbucks Indivisible blend, proceeds from which benefit the Create Jobs for USA fund. Stop by on the Fourth of July, when Starbucks nationwide will be serving everyone a free tall hot brewed coffee. Ugh, can we get that iced?
EA Games Who woulda thunk homophobes were lurking around MMOGs? Apparently The Family Research Council and the Florida Family Association (FFA) have a bone to pick with EA, which has included queer characters, romances and plotlines in games likes Star Wars: The Old Republic and Mass Effect 3. As Forbes.com puts it “[FFA’s] anti-EA campaign reads like satire:
Will the makers of Star Wars video games create Darth VaPaula, a (mock) transgender version of Darth Vader – RuPaul, for kids to choose as their action character?
While we are living for the idea of RuPaul in a Star Wars game, “Darth VaPaula” is the dumbest thing we’ve heard this millennium. (This is the kind of humor you get when you ban gay people.) Activist group AllOut decided to thank EA for fighting the Dark Side with a petition that has garnered more than 68,000 signatures. But aside from the professional bigots, there’s been also a lot of hate mail and viciously homophobic comments spewed as a result of EA creating more inclusive, realistic universes. These players are put out by the fact, that somewhere in there virtual world, two aliens of the same gender may be getting it on, even if they never have to interact with them. What you should by: Mass Effect 3. It’s got a same-sex-romance option and we hear it’s pretty rad. Or, y’know, you could buy The Sims 3: Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats. (Eek!)  
General Mills Earlier in June, General Mills spit up its Wheaties when it heard Minnesota was grappling with a marriage-equality ban. The Fortune 500 company announced its opposition, which got NOM and the AFA in the mood for one of their old-fashioned boycotts. Like you can stare down Betty Crocker and win. What to buy: What not to buy? In addition to the aforementioned Betty Crocker, General Mills owns Green Giant, Haagen-Daz, Pillsbury, Yoplait, Macaroni Grill, Hamburger Helper, Progresso and Bisquick, just to name a few. Grab the Sunday paper, see what they have coupons for, and go crazy!  
The Home Depot In May, the American Family Association dropped off more than 25,000 signatures to Home Depot chairman Frank Blake during a shareholders meeting, protesting the company’s support for LGBT Pride parades nationwide. The AFA basically claimed the home-improvement chain was helping queers build Sodom and Gomorrah on the town square:
“For several years, The Home Depot has given its financial and corporate support to open displays of homosexual activism on main streets in America’s towns. Rather than remain neutral in the culture war, The Home Depot has chosen to sponsor and participate in numerous gay pride parades and festivals. Most grievous is The Home Depot’s deliberately exposing small children to lascivious displays of sexual conduct by homosexuals and cross-dressers, which are a common occurrence at these events.”
Blake responded, “We are, and will remain, committed to a culture that fosters an inclusive environment for our associates, our customers and communities in which we exist.” But the boycott pledge is barely a month old, so we want to stop it in its tracks. What to buy: A $50 gift card for your favorite lesbian couple. Then they can buy some decent patio furniture and invite you over for cocktails.  

Girl Scouts of the USA

If Indiana Republican Bob Morris is to believed, a Girl Scout troop meeting is like a witch’s coven in old Salem, but instead of spells, den mothers teach Brownies how to cross dress and wear strap-ons. And apparently, the Girl Scouts is the secret benefactor of Planned Parenthood, that horrible communist cabal dedicated to forcing  girls to get abortions.

Many parents are abandoning the Girl Scouts because they promote homosexual lifestyles. In fact, the Girl Scouts education seminar girls are directed to study the example of role models. Of the fifty role models listed, only three have a briefly-mentioned religious background —all the rest are feminists, lesbians, or Communists.

These jackasses have even brainwashed little girls into preaching their brand of ignorance and hate.

Just for the fact that bigots like Morris don’t want us to support the Girl Scouts, we should. But on top of  that the GS doesn’t discriminate against homosexual or trans members—unlike those dingleberries in the Boy Scouts.

What to buy: Cookies, duh! Snap up a few boxes of Samoas, Thin Mints and Tagalongs. Ooh, and try the new Savannah Smiles.

 

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29 Comments*

  • Joe

    Home Depot should be on the list just because of the cruisiness of their rest rooms. 🙂
    You know what I mean.

  • tj

    Click-through slide show?

    I don’t thing so, just give me a freakin bullet list.

  • Olive Austin

    @tj — Then how would Queerty inflate their page visit statistics?

  • randy

    Let’s increase that number. I want them boycotting TONS of companies!

    They won’t be able to keep track of them, and the more they boycott, the more ridiculous they look. And of course, the more they have the, the more likely these boycotts will fail.

  • ChristopherM

    It isn’t enough that you shop there, you have to let them know why. I bought a freezer from Home Depot a d specifically let them know it was because of their support of equality.

  • Ian

    @ChristopherM: I agree. Companies actually listen to customer feedback, especially when positive. Letting these businesses know WHY you are a customer is a good idea.

  • Spike

    @Joe: The bathrooms at HomoDepot are always dirty, why not just cruise any given aisle?!!?

  • Blake

    AFA concerned about Home Depot influencing children, interesting. I would like to meet some of these children so in love with Home Depot.

  • Dshawns

    i support them all with the exception of Archie Comics and EA ( no longer a comic collector and have never been a gamer). Guess I will be shopping at the Home Depot more than Lowes now.

  • FreddyMertz

    Support most…don’t really do comics..unless they’re in movie form….and Girl Scout cookies are evil…as I sit here munching on a thin mint. LOL

  • guydads

    Here is a list of anti-gay companies and business (all on one page) as well as a list of companies that have changed their ways. http://guydads.blogspot.com/2008/12/anti-gay-companies.html

  • w.e.

    I would hold off on buying those placemats at JC Penneys. They just abruptly fired their new progressive CEO after just 8 months. Somehow, I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of Ellen anymore either.

  • Charli

    Yeah man!! H o m o D e p o t R O X!!!
    Of course all you have to do is dload HRC’s
    buying guide!!!( there’s an app 4 that) And you will see everyone’s point lists.
    I don’t leave home without it AND I let them know, it’s GAY $

  • scott

    @guydads: thanks for the list link. Sad that Queerty is in it for the money and couldn’t just list the list in one link.

  • Cameron

    Add American Airlines to that list. They sponsored Barcelona Pride 2012 and, I’m sure, a few other ones.. they also have an LGBT travel site.

  • drockboston

    Try going one day without using something made by Proctor and Gamble, Kraft, or General Mills. Good luck 40,000 moms.

  • Nina

    As an adult Girl Scout I just wanted to add that you can make donations of product to local troops (example: when my troop marched in a Homecoming parade, the fabric and paints for our banners were all donated by a church Ladies’ Aid). This is helpful to the girls–more projects are possible and so are bigger projects, thanks to not having to use as much of their designated money–and you can hit a double-whammy by, for example, buying the T-shirts for their parade from J.C. Penney.

    And if there are any girl-loving gays floating around–my troop always needed more chaperones for outings, and we definitely had dads, not just moms, who signed up for stuff like Field Day and movie trips. Contact your local troop or GSUSA division and see how you can get involved.

  • 1equalityUSA

    I just bought two containers of Oreos, now, it may be a “pipe” dream, but I’ve got to go buy a plank of wood, some sort of spray, a plant, something, anything to “hammer” the message that we are going to “nail” 1,000 hormonal moms by bringing truckloads of business to Home Depot. Hatred will be “insulated” by LGBT dollars as Home Depot will be “raking” in the money. What “tools” these mortals be. They never “saw” it coming.

  • Macmantoo

    If you really want to add insult to injury do what I did. I went to the One Million Mom site and sent an email from their site thanking Oreo for what they’ve done. It’s easy, they allow the email to be altered so I changed the wording to thank them for the support of gays around the world.

  • Macmantoo

    @w.e.: Actually the Chairman of the board was responsible for Ellen. But because they have lost money with the ‘no sales” campaign someone had to go and unfortunately it was the CEO. I do think we’ll continue to see Ellen.

  • 1equalityUSA

    What is the “no sales” campaign?

  • Rockery

    @tj:

    LOL agreed, I’m just not going to bother going past the first page.

  • jack

    We gay people are so lucky that our opponents are so stupid.

  • Cassie

    I already buy things from 90% of the LGBT supporting companies….I KNOW! Let’s ban ALL MARRIAGE and see how straights like their marriages becoming null!

  • S

    I guess that I, a female living with her boyfriend, am considered homosexual since I’m absolute hoping that that rainbow Oreo can actually get made, even if the thing comes in singular colors, but lined up all together to make the rainbow.

    \o/ Proud, straight support! I love EVERYONE, regardless of race, religion, who you love, what you do… Well, everyone excluding jerks anyway.

  • Victoria Alcorta Canela

    @1equalityUSA The JCP “no sales” campaign is that they won’t be putting ads about sales or sending out flyers and they won’t be having sales because they are going to give us the lowest prices they can give us. I was already buying from these companies and I have called the managers and area managers to let them know that it is “gay” $$$$ they are getting and why. I got two companies owned by in-laws to buy from HD first before looking elsewhere and believe me they spend thousands of dollars a month and I let the area manager know why we were moving our business to them. And thank you CAMERON I didn’t know about AA but we will be choosing AA above the other airlines as much as possible now.

  • Evukshoemaker

    You know what, bitch-who-dislikes-homedepot-for-supporting-pride-parades, it’s not home depot who makes children watch pride parades, it’s your hatred and homophobia which creates the need for pride parades in the first place! So don’t you go whining about the “sodomy” and “sexual exposions” which might occur during pride, because it’s your own fault!
    And furthermore, if you don’t want them to see it, then don’t let them see it. Golly.

    It really is a shame I live in Sweden and can’t support those companies…
    Then again, I live in Sweden which has marriage equality and adopting rights for gays…
    So I guess when I grow up, I will be able to get married! (I’ll hopefully move to NYC, but still)

  • james

    @jack: im 100% anti gay its great too because pro gay say its their right to be gay true true but its also true I have the right to be intolerant & you have to accept my intolerance just like how I have to accept your gay shit GOD BLESS THE U.S.A we fuck up everything

  • Randal Oulton

    Any specific technical reason that they can’t be all listed on one page? I’m getting a bit bored of everything being 9 million clicks to turn pages, and with all the tracking scripts loading from various other servers, the page turn over time is really slow.

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