Church Boycotts Pepsi for Pro-Gay Stances

Churchgoers in Tampa Bay, Fla., are being urged to boycott Pepsi to protest the corporation's donations to gay advocacy organizations and "acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle."

Terry Kemple, president of the Community Issues Council, a right-wing Christian activist organization, wants to send a retaliatory message to Pepsi and its subsidiaries, which include Gatorade, Tropicana, Frito-Lay, and Quaker, according to WTSP-TV .

"[Kemple] said the company donated more than a million dollars to organizations that fought California's gay marriage-banning Proposition 8," reported WTSP-TV. "He also says the Pepsi Corporation has sponsored gay pride events and commercials that accept cross-dressing and homosexuality."

Kemple reportedly also convinced his megachurch, the Bell Shoals Baptist Church, to remove its 10 Pepsi machines and replace them with vending machines from Coke.

Nadine Smith, the executive director of Equality Florida, called the boycott "offensive" and "embarrassing," noting that Coke, like Pepsi, supports full equality.