AFA ends boycott: McDonald's agrees to changes

[Rick336]

AFA ends boycott: McDonald's agrees to changes

From The American Family Association email alert:

October 9, 2008

Great news! Because of AFA supporters like you, McDonald’s has told AFA they will remain neutral in the culture war regarding homosexual marriage. AFA is ending the boycott of McDonald’s. As you know, AFA called for the boycott in May after McDonald’s joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

McDonald’s said McDonald’s Vice President Richard Ellis has resigned his position on the board of NGLCC and that his seat on the board will not be replaced. McDonald’s also said that the company has no plans to renew their membership in NGLCC when it expires in December.

In an e-mail to McDonald’s franchised owners the company said, “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.”

We appreciate the decision by McDonald’s to no longer support political activity by homosexual activist organizations. You might want to thank your local McDonald’s manager.

[Matt Algren]

Like Jeremy over at GoodAsYou pointed out (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GoodAsYou/~3/415978150/afa-golden-arch.html), we have no idea how much, if any, of this press release is true. I'm waiting to see what McDonald's or the NGLCC have to say.

edit: There's this from queerty (http://www.queerty.com/anti-gay-afa-claims-victory-in-mcds-boycott-20081009/):

Our friend Cole Wakefield, who writes for Nashville's Out and About, spoke with a McDonald's media person this afternoon and was told Ellis' leaving had nothing to do with the AFA protest. He moved to Canada for personal reasons, apparently. McDonald's has yet to release an official media statement, nor are we sure they will. We wish they would, though. It would be great to see the AFA taken down a bit, especially since they do this shit all the time.

[keltic63]

yes, I do hope McD's makes a statement. Jeremy Buffo is taking potshots at me over at his blog and of course, it's ping'd back to mine....

[nmwolfboy]

McDonald's recent corporate press releases say sales have been up in the July to September quarter. They even announced an increase in their stock's quarterly dividend a couple of weeks ago. In order for a boycott to have any real effect, isn't it based on decreasing the boycott target's revenues? In this case, McDonald's sales figures increased steadily during the AFA action.

Having a partner who used to be a PR exec for a large company sometimes gets me to thinking along corporate PR lines. I suspect that if the AFA actually did get an email from someone authorized by corporate McDonald's, it was just corporate PR capitalizing on the Ellis change in order to pacify the AFA. Note also that the actual words that the AFA attributes to the supposed McDonald's email are pretty neutral & bland.
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.
It would be just as easy to read the subtext "So bugger off, you AFA loons." in that kind of corporate-speak. The AFA, of course, reads it differently.

UPDATE: Here's a link (http://www.nglcc.org/node/4168) to today's NGLCC press release.

[Rick336]

UPDATE: Here's a link to today's NGLCC press release.

So basically the American Family Association just lied to its three million members. Wow. Great family values. Well done, AFA! :rolleyes:


Rick

[Matt Algren]

The AFA lying?!? The deuce you say!

[Matt Algren]

Another link (http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/mixed-media/2008/10/10/mcdonalds-denies-u-turn-on-gay-rights-support) showing that the liars at the AFA lied by lying again. This one is McDonald's clarifying the situation.

McDonald's Denies U-Turn on Gay Rights Support

It looks like the American Family Association is again taking credit for a victory it didn't really achieve.

Back in March, the Christian-values lobbying group announced that it had successfully mau-maued Ford into cutting off its marketing efforts targeting the gay community. Ford said it had done no such thing.

Now AFA says it has ended a long-running boycott of McDonald's after the fast-food giant agreed "to no longer support political activity by homosexual activist organizations."

The cessation of the boycott was evidently triggered by the resignation of McDonald's vice president Richard Ellis from the board of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. "McDonald's also said that the company has no plans to renew their membership in NGLCC when it expires in December," claimed the group.

But a McDonald's spokeswoman disputed details of AFA's account. McDonald's, she said, was never a corporate "member" of NGLCC; its relationship with the organization consisted of Ellis's board seat and a sponsorship he arranged. "McDonald's sponsored a table at an event at an NGLCC gala fundraiser," said the spokeswoman. "That's what they're labeling a sponsorship. That was the extent of our involvement."

Ellis stepped down from the NGLCC board, she added, because he recently transferred to a post with McDonald's Canadian operation. "McDonald's has no plan to fill his seat [on the board] because it's not our seat to fill," she said.

As for AFA's claim that McDonald's has pledged to "remain neutral in the culture war regarding homosexual marriage," NGLCC notes for the record that gay marriage isn't even part of its lobbying agenda.

[tymejumper]

So basically the American Family Association just lied to its three million members. Wow. Great family values. Well done, AFA! :rolleyes:


Rick



Lie? Such good God fearing people? Never!:eek:

I can only say, "when I was little, they used to call me a liar, now that I am grown, they call me a politician."