Procter & Gamble Comes Out of the Closet
by AFA Journal
December 2, 2004
(AgapePress) - A company that has built its empire on its family-friendly image has come "out of the closet" in support of a political campaign waged by homosexual activists.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) has been supportive of the homosexual movement for years. However, the company's recent actions in Cincinnati, Ohio, which serves as its headquarters, has led the Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA) to call for a boycott of P&G.
In Cincinnati, homosexual activists headed up a drive to overturn the city's Article 12, a measure passed 11 years ago which prohibits granting special rights for homosexuals. That law passed by an overwhelming 62%-38% margin in 1993. It appears that P&G is determined to help activists accomplish their goal. The company recently wrote to their Cincinnati employees urging them to support the repeal of Article 12. P&G has also donated $40,000 toward that goal.
[Editor's Note: On November 2, 2004, the ballot measure to overturn Article 12 was successful, by a vote of 54%-46%, thereby making it once again illegal in Cincinnati to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, disability, Appalachian origin, or sexual orientation.]
Citizens to Restore Fairness, the group pushing for special rights for homosexuals, is chaired by Gary Wright, an employee of P&G who was given a leave of absence to head the campaign. Wright is a leader of P&G's corporate homosexual group GABLE/P&G.
AFA founder Don Wildmon said P&G's open support of a homosexual political cause is unique. "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 said.
What has been most disappointing to pro-family groups, however, is that P&G has defended its recent activism in language that is insulting to Christians and other supporters of traditional marriage. In a press release, P&G said: "Article 12 is the only law of its kind in the United States that allows discrimination against a specific group of people, a distinction that makes the city of Cincinnati out of step with doing what's right."
However, the truth is that Article 12 was passed in response to an earlier law which granted special rights on the basis of sexual orientation. The people of Cincinnati simply did not want homosexuals enshrined as a group with special privileges.
In this regard, Cincinnati is in line with most cities across the nation. Out of more than 19,000 municipalities in the U.S., only 127 have laws covering the private sector which grant special protections to homosexuals.
So, are the 62% of Cincinnati voters who passed Article 12 in 1993 really "out of step" and wrong, as P&G says? Not according to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. When homosexual activists challenged the constitutionality of Article 12, the court said the Cincinnati law was fine because homosexuals were not a legally defined minority. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the 6th Circuit decision.
Beyond the matter of Article 12, however, is the issue of same-sex marriage. In a letter sent to all their employees concerning the company's efforts to repeal Article 12, P&G explained: "We value differences and will not tolerate discrimination in any form, against anyone, for any reason."
That's the sort of language homosexual activists have used to justify the legalization of same-sex marriage. They claim, for example, that it is discrimination to allow only heterosexual couples to marry. If P&G truly holds to its own policy to not discriminate "in any form ... for any reason," does the company support homosexual marriage?
A second controversy in the Buckeye State is over the Ohio Marriage Protection Amendment, which defines marriage as being between one man and one woman. Even though pro-family groups have been drumming up support for the Amendment, P&G has stayed on the sidelines. The company has refused to publicly support the measure or donate to the cause. [Editor's Note: On November 2, 2004, the Ohio Marriage Protection Amendment passed 62%-38% -- the same margin by which Article 12 passed in 1993.]
As a result of P&G's political involvement on behalf of the homosexual agenda, AFA has called for a boycott of three of its most popular brands: Crest toothpaste, Tide laundry detergent, and Pampers diapers. The pro-family group has also created a website -- PGBoycott.com -- to encourage people nationwide to join the boycott effort.
This article appeared in the November/December 2004 issue of the AFA Journal, a publication of the American Family Association.
