Home Depot Rebuffs the American Family Association
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The American Family Association, a notoriously homophobic and bigoted conservative group most famous for employing Bryan “All the Nazis were gay” Fischer, recently presented a petition to the executives and shareholders of Home Depot.
The petition, allegedly signed by over 470,000 people, demanded…I’m sorry…asked Home Depot to remain “neutral” in the culture war, especially when it comes to marriage equality. Remember, Lowe’s caved a week ago to the Florida version of this group regarding “All American Muslim.” The Home Depot seems to have the spine Lowe’s is lacking.
The AFA’s executive vice president, Buddy Smith, and director of special projects Randy Sharp, both say they were “rebuffed” by Home Depot chairman Frank Blake and other executives when the AFA officers presented The Home Depot with the petition. Blake thanked them for the petition, but reiterated the company’s support for diversity, which includes same-gender marriage.
Home Depot promotes “Out and Equal Workplace Advocates”, an LGBT advocacy group that supports workplace diversity and marriage equality. Home Depot is also a supporter of the Human Rights Campaign. This does not sit well with the AFA, whose various leaders have stated that homosexuality should be illegal, homosexuals are responsible for more hate crimes than any other group and believes that ANY company or business that promotes equality is un-American. The AFA went all out in the following statement:
“For several years, The Home Depot has given its financial and corporate support to open displays of homosexual activism on main streets in American towns. The Home Depot has chosen to sponsor and participate in numerous gay pride parade and festivals. Most grievous is The Home Depot’s deliberately exposing small children to lascivious displays of sexual conduct by homosexuals and cross dressers, which are a common occurrence at these events.”
I’ve been to a few gay pride parades, and I don’t recall seeing The Home Depot float, but if anyone has a photo of that bad boy, please post it. Lascivious displays=kissing. No one has sex during a gay pride parade any more than Santa receives oral sex from a Rockette during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. And to the small children being subjected to KISSING by people who are the same sex-so what? Odds are, those kids have parents who are gay, so they see kissing all the time, or are being raised by parents who are teaching them it’s okay if two men or two women want to kiss or get married.
The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the AFA as a hate group for statements like this:
“The homosexual lifestyle is characterized by anonymous sexual encounters and celebration of sexual obsession and perversion unparalleled in any other social group.” Richard Howe, “Homosexuality in America”, AFA publication, 1994
“The homosexual movement is a progressive outgrowth of the sexual revolution of the past 40 years and will lead to the normalization of even more deviant behavior.” Don Wildmon, AFA website, 1999 (still up as of 2011).
And the piece de le resistance:
“Homosexuality gave us Adolf Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and six million Jews.” Bryan Fischer, AFA director of issue analysis for government and public policy, 2010.
Kudos to The Home Depot for standing up for equality, and against the hate, lies and bigotry of the American Family Association. I wish other companies had Home Depot’s courage and understanding of equality, and I am glad that more and more corporations are coming down on the side of what’s right, not caving to narrow minded special interest groups. Someday, as Judy Shepard said, we won’t need a gay community, because we will all just be one community. If that day ever arrives, I’m damn sure we’ll all be shopping at The Home Depot.
[Thanks to the Southern Poverty Law Center and lgbtqnation.com for information in this article.]
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In 2008 and 2009, with the downturn in the housing market, The Home Depot announced the layoff of several thousand associates, as well as the closing of 54 stores nationwide, including the entire EXPO Design Center chain.
Oh, one more thing. Why is it that when people who are desperately afraid of homosexuality hear about marriage equality or equal rights for the LGBT community, they immediately think about sex? I had the honor of interviewing Captain Steve Snyder Hill and his husband, Josh, and he said the same thing. When someone shows him a photo of their spouse, he thinks “Oh, that’s their husband or wife.” When he shows a photo of HIS spouse to someone, they automatically think about sex. Why are anti-gay rights bigots obsessed with gay sex? Are you jealous? Are you, as many psychologists believe, a deeply closeted homosexual yourself? Why can’t people who hate like normal folks breathe just accept that this fight for equality is about love and acceptance, not about sex? Maybe you need to open up your closet and step out into the light…
Why is it about sex ? Well because any moron with the brain of a gnat will know that it eventually leads to sex ! And sex with a pecker (made for penetration) and an anus (made for exit only) does not match ! Nor does two vagina’s (made to penetrate and give birth) does not match sexually.
It’s “you’re” as in “you’re a retard”, not “your” as in “your closet must be a tight fit.” And why did you put an apostrophe on “vaginas?” To pluralize something, you only need to add an “s”, no apostrophe necessary. (Technically, vagina should not be pluralized, but in the interest of time, we’ll let that slide.) Why is “One” capitalized? The comma after “thing” should be a semi-colon. Other than those errors, it was a well thought out albeit slightly disturbing and offensive response.
The definition of projection:
Psychological projection or projection bias is a psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, usually to other people. Thus, projection involves imagining or projecting the belief that others originate those feelings.[1]
Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the unwanted unconscious impulses or desires without letting the conscious mind recognize them.
Well done Erin! Well done indeed!!
And you only need one ! point Michael John Scott the idiot.
Because your article is not worth the time to spell check ! But since you don’t answer any of my questions and did go there where is your space between feelings.[1]
Should be space between the period and the [1] duhhhhhhhh !!!
Geez! This doesn’t even make sense.
Why do gays or any straight members of a civil society feel the need to march in public display portraying men in cages in chains depicting sadomasochism which is posted with pictures from the Atlanta gay pride parade ???
This is sick twisted behavior for either side gay or straight
And no – it is not normal or natural for children to be raised by couples of the same sex. That is contrived and forced onto a child with no choice in the matter.
It is the sole wish of entitled adults to make this happen with the use of scientific manipulation.
The destruction of the natural family unit male/ female roles have been mocked and marginalized
The society soon will fall apart .
That is not how the natural world operates – even an atheist would agree
Any atheist? Um, no. While I do agree that certain behavior is unwarranted and should be stopped (public masochism, men in cages, etc.), I do not see any problem with a child being raised by same sex couples. Children who are raised by opposite sex couples aren’t given a choice in the matter, either, you know. At least the children without families have someone to care of them. As for the male/female roles…some children are raised by, say, mothers and aunts, fathers and uncles, or a grandparent, or just plain single parents. Honestly, isn’t better for these children to have some sort of family then no family at all?
I would rather have a child raised by a gay married couple than bigots or fundamentalist Christians any day of the week. As to the “displays”, which is more offensive-some guy in a cage or a 5 year old wearing full makeup, hair extensions, a fake tan and a “flipper” in her mouth, parading around in a tiny bikini for a bunch of judges? I can explain away the guy in the cage very easily, the mini beauty pageant contestant, not so much. And to the person who called me a “retard”, I hope you’re joking, because if you’re as right wing as you sound, you should know that your goddess here on Earth, Sarah Palin, asked you people to stop using that word.
What a shame that 3 days before Christians celebrate the birth of a man who embodied unconditional love and forgiveness, virulent and bigoted hate raises its ugly head.
Erin, You stupid retard , Where did my post say I was a christian ? Does a person have to be christian to know right from wrong ? Why is it because someone doesn’t like gays, queers, fags , homos or kike you make them a christian ? Talk about a bigot ! Your a retard, retard, retard, I don’t give a f#ck what sarah palin or you say ! I’d rather have casey anthony raise my children than an idiot like you and those who believe like you.
All your name-calling is sure making your point. Have you considered trying to make your point without repeating the word ‘retard’ over and over? It might make people more interested in hearing what you have to say. We’re all civil people here, right? We can be civil about this, can’t we?
Thank you Erin ! It took a stupid idiot retard like you to wake me up ! I had no idea part of the 200k plus I spend at home depot every year goes to homos, lesbos and the like and now they are tring to back muslims !!! Never will me nor my sub-contractors set foot in a home depot again, Look out Lowes you are going to get busier !!
LOL Erin! Great article…again.
Thank you very much for writing this, it was worth reading.
I’ve only recently started to hear about this American Family Association, thanks to MMA. It’s nice to hear that there are companies who wont just cave to whatever they demand-sorry, ‘ask’. And suddenly, I have a new-found fondness for Home Depot…
Thanks! It’s a great testament to how comfortable The Home Depot is as a company that they did not do what Lowe’s did and simply give in to the bigots. I shopped Home Depot before, and now, I plan to build a summer home in the garden department. 😀
Hey Erin you’ve knocked it out of the park again with your insightful reporting. I had never heard of these “family” groups. Whenever I hear that in the name of an organization I will be reminded of this group and the Florida one you wrote about the other day. Thanks.
I could and have spent hours in Home Depot and hearing this even makes it better. Nothing like a new found respect. Thanks Erin.
I never liked Lowe’s much nor HD for that matter. I don’t like those appeals to the masses, but after reading this I’ve changed my opinion and will take a second look. Thanks.