American Family
Association claims Ford boycott has financial effect

The American Family Association is claiming its boycott of Ford Motor Co. for supporting gay and lesbian civil rights groups and media is driving the company under. The AFA, which claims to have collected 500,000 Internet pledges to boycott Ford products, is leading the movement by conservative Christian groups. But addressing a recent drop in Ford's sales, automotive industry analysts say there were larger issues at play than the boycott, pointing to higher gas prices, hikes in interest rates, and intense competition among carmakers, particularly by foreign manufacturers. Ford also downplays any effect the boycott has had and disputes an AFA claim that the automaker will hold an emergency meeting with dealers next week to shore up support. At Ford's annual meeting in June a shareholder forced a vote to drop protections for LGBT workers from its human resources regulations. It was resoundingly defeated. (Sirius OutQ News)