Pro-Family Group Spearheads P&G Boycott
by Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
September 15, 2004
(AgapePress) - A pro-family organization is calling for a boycott of Crest toothpaste and Tide detergent -- two brands that have become household names in America.
Officials with the American Family Association say they are calling for a boycott of the Procter and Gamble products because of the company's support of same-sex marriage and other homosexual activist causes. The pro-family group has established a website, PGboycott.com, to encourage people nationwide to join this effort to send a message to the corporate giant. The two popular products, Crest and Tide, were selected to be boycotted because they are two of P&G's largest moneymakers.
AFA's founder, Dr. Donald E. Wildmon, says P&G has publicly thrown its support and considerable financial resources behind homosexual activist efforts. "Procter & Gamble, to my knowledge, is the first corporation in this country that has given money for a political campaign pushing the homosexual political agenda," he says. According to the pro-family advocate, the company's management in Cincinnati, Ohio, recently wrote to P&G employees and urged them to support the revocation of a city law that prohibits granting special rights to homosexuals.
The city's voters approved that law in 1993 by a broad margin. Its enactment, as the Ohio-based pro-family group Citizens for Community Values (http://www.ccv.org) notes, was the result of "long, hard battles" fought by pro-family advocates. The legislation amended Cincinnati's city charter, makes it the only American city with a law in place prohibiting ordinances granting special rights, status, or privileges based on individuals' sexual orientation. The charter now states that any future enactment of "hate crimes" laws or the institution of "domestic partner benefits" is forbidden in Cincinnati. Likewise, any previously enacted city laws or policies that violate the amendment, even though they predate it, are rendered null and void.
But Wildmon points out that P&G opposes the pro-family amendment, and is not only urging Cincinnati voters "to repeal a law passed 11 years ago by a 62-to-38 percent margin," but also "has publicly come out in support of repealing the law and has given $10,000 toward that goal." The AFA founder feels the company's partisan actions in support of so-called "homosexual rights" have made the call for a boycott necessary.
P&G's public announcement favoring the repeal states that the company "will not tolerate discrimination in any form, against anyone, for any reason." Wildmon believes the statement makes it clear that P&G supports same-sex marriage and considers it discriminatory -- which he freely admits it is.
Wildmon asserts that the effort to oppose special homosexual rights legislation or legalization of same-sex marriage "is discrimination -- with good reason." He says several other pro-family groups are expected to join AFA in promoting the boycott of Crest and Tide, two of P&G's most popular products.