Obama rails
against boycott of "pro-lesbian" doll maker

Attempts to boycott a doll maker over its backing of a "pro-lesbian" girls group that also supports abortion rights are "silly" and an "overreaction," U.S. senator Barack Obama said Monday. The Democrat from Illinois spoke at a luncheon for Girls Inc., which has drawn fire this month from conservatives.

At issue is Girls Inc.'s involvement with American Girl, a manufacturer of popular dolls and children's books. The company is donating proceeds from sales of a special wristband--which reads "I Can"--to support the programs of Girls Inc. "This is a classic example of overreaction and a lack of proportion," Obama said at a news conference before his Omaha speech. "I think it's silly."

Earlier this month the antigay American Family Association announced it was boycotting American Girl unless the manufacturer stopped contributing to Girls Inc. Obama said that typically it's the Left that's accused of being overly sensitive but in this case that can be said of conservatives.

Obama, who has two daughters, 7 and 4, said both sides of the controversy should work together to improve the lives of girls growing up in America. "We've got to agree how to invest in our children and expose them to the real world and talk to them about the challenges they are going to face," he said.

Last Friday, Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, in papers she submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she had served on an advisory committee for Girls Inc. in 1987 in Dallas. But the family association has said Miers's involvement with Girls Inc. does not factor into her current status as a nominee, though the group, based in Mississippi, has neither endorsed nor opposed her nomination.

Girls Inc. serves about 800,000 girls a year, many of them black or Hispanic and most from low-income families. (AP)