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Rockstar Makes Good With Gays



After taking a drubbing from the gay community, Rockstar Energy Drink CEO Russell Weiner -- son of antigay shock jock Michael Savage -- announced on Thursday that his company is donating a total of $100,000 to a slew of gay rights groups.

The move comes after several gay websites reported that Weiner was Savage's son; many assumed that Savage helped fund Rockstar and played a role in its business dealings.

In a statement, Weiner worked to separate his company -- which produces one of the country's most popular energy drinks -- from his father. Savage's wife, Janet Weiner, serves as Rockstar's CFO, but according to the following release, does not share her husband's disdain for gays and lesbians.

"It has recently come to Rockstar's attention that there might be a misconception about our company's policy and my personal support for LGBT rights," Weiner said in a release. "We apologize for that misunderstanding, and want to make clear today that our company fully supports our LGBT employees and our LGBT customers."

The Las Vegas-based Rockstar will be splitting a $100,000 donation between the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, the Trevor Project, and a new group called the National LGBT Bloggers Initiative. The company, which has offered its employees domestic-partnership benefits since 2000, will now include an LGBT component in its corporate diversity training, as well as provide company resources for employees to start LGBT workplace groups.

Russell Weiner went out of his way to say he is not his homophobic father: "Some have erroneously associated our company with offensive language directed at LGBT people, specifically statements coming from Michael Savage, who is not and has never been a shareholder or officer of Rockstar Energy Drink. 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. Rockstar assures our customers and the general public that our brand will never be associated with any language that does not affirm the essential dignity of every person in our diverse national community."

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Reader Comments
  • Name: inhighspeed
    Date posted: 7/11/2009 11:02:00 AM
    Hometown: Baltimore

    Comment:

    Bill Armstrong (below), you are an ass. I've never heard of anything so ridiculous. Why hold the son responsible for acts of the father. You are what the gay community does not need ... an extremist nut case. Go sleep with women and leave us alone.

  • Name: Bill Armstrong
    Date posted: 7/11/2009 5:25:00 AM
    Hometown: Dallas

    Comment:

    The gay groups who accepted this money are akin to the Nazi collaborators who helped run the concentration camps in exchange for the right to live a little bit longer. These gay groups need to remember what was done to collaborators at the end of World War II. They were hanged upside down from the lightposts of Rome and Paris. For a few lousy coins, they have betrayed the entire gay community and should be viewed as traitors in this war.

  • Name: Kevin
    Date posted: 7/11/2009 1:14:00 AM
    Hometown: Killeen, TX

    Comment:

    I don't see any reason to believe that just because of who his father is that he thinks the same way. That's garbage. We all think and believe for ourselves. I know that my father and I don't agree on everything and I definitely wouldn't want people to hold me accountable for things that he says and does. And so what if his father gave him seed money to help start the company, there is nothing wrong with a father helping his son, even if said father is a bigot. Until he starts discriminating against GLBT persons I see no reason to hold this against him. I say that a "Thank You" should be in order for his kind donations even if they were made for nothing more than a sign of good faith and as a peace offering. Maybe its time we stop lashing out at people just based on assumptions of their beliefs.

  • Name: Jake
    Date posted: 7/10/2009 8:09:00 PM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    Rockstar did not make good with this gay!! And I'm offended that the Advocate would print such crab...and seemingly believe it's true.

  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 7/10/2009 10:27:00 AM
    Hometown: Denton

    Comment:

    I manage a cafe that used to sell ROCKSTAR. When I discovered that Michael Savage was connected to ROCKSTAR, I immediatley withdrew that product from my shelves. Sorry, but this contribution is too late and not enough to convince me that the Savage family is not making a profit off hatespeach.

  • Name: Mike
    Date posted: 7/10/2009 9:44:00 AM
    Hometown: New York

    Comment:

    When Red Bull doles out $100,000 we can talk - until then Rockstar it is.

  • Name: Rob
    Date posted: 7/10/2009 7:26:00 AM
    Hometown: Tempe

    Comment:

    I love that Michael Savage is so proud of who he is and what he stands for that he decided to change his name.... classy....

  • Name: Bob
    Date posted: 7/10/2009 12:44:00 AM
    Hometown: Carrollton

    Comment:

    Sorry...until Mike Savage changes his tune, no amount of money will get me to buy this product. Guilt money, hush money, anti-gay money.

  • Name: Paul
    Date posted: 7/9/2009 11:18:00 PM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    Ryan, perhaps you should do a little more research. Daddy helped with the formula and put up seed money. Which facts are you seeing that don't show financial benefit going to Weiner's family? Which facts are you looking at Ryan? Ones that allow you to spend money that enriches enemies of gay and lesbian equality?

  • Name: therealJ
    Date posted: 7/9/2009 11:12:00 PM
    Hometown: Canada

    Comment:

    Until ROCKSTAR starts selling their beverages for 9 cents I won't be buying them.

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