Nineteen antigay
groups on Monday said they were launching an
official boycott of Ford Motor Co., contending that the
automaker reneged on an agreement to stop supporting
gay rights organizations. The groups set up a Web site
urging supporters not to buy Ford vehicles after the
automaker said last December it would continue running
advertisements in gay publications.
The American
Family Association, which is leading this latest effort, had
threatened a boycott of Ford last year but held off for six
months at the request of some Ford dealers. "Ford has
the right to financially support homosexual groups
promoting homosexual marriage, but at the same time
consumers have a right not to purchase automobiles made by
Ford," said AFA chairman Donald Wildmon in a statement.
Ford, in a
statement, said it was "proud of its tradition of treating
all with respect, and we remain focused on what we do best,
building and selling the most innovative cars and
trucks worldwide." Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes
declined further comment.
In December, Ford
said it would stop advertising its Jaguar and Land
Rover luxury brands in gay publications to reduce marketing
costs. But several gay rights groups raised concerns
about the plan and met with the automaker, leading to
Ford's announcement that it would place corporate ads
featuring all eight of its brands in gay publications. Joe
Laymon, Ford's group vice president for corporate
human resources, said in December he hoped the
decision would "remove any ambiguity about Ford's
desire to advertise to all important audiences and put this
particular issue to rest."
Wildmon and other
leading conservatives wrote Ford chairman and CEO Bill
Ford in January, asking him to remove the automaker "from
involvement in the cultural war." Randy Sharp, AFA's
director of special projects, said Monday that Ford's
chairman "refused to acknowledge, much less reply, to
our concerns."
Gay rights
organizations criticized the boycott. Said Brad Luna,
spokesman for the gay rights group Human Rights
Campaign: "Clear trends toward fairness,
nondiscrimination, inclusion, and acceptance of gays
in corporate America are unstoppable. Any attempts to turn
back the clock such as this one are out of step with
the values of the majority of Americans."
The American
Family Association says it has 2 million online members who
have requested e-mail alerts about various issues and that
it sends a monthly news journal to 160,000 homes.
Other groups joining the boycott include Center for
Reclaiming America, Coalitions for America, and
Liberty Counsel.
In afternoon
trading Monday, Ford shares dropped 2 cents, or 0.26%, to
$7.82 on the New York Stock Exchange. (AP)