Antigay activists would only be eating their words if they attempted to boycott every pro-LGBT food and beverage company.
July 20 2012 5:00 AM EST
November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST
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Antigay activists would only be eating their words if they attempted to boycott every pro-LGBT food and beverage company.
You probably won't find Oreos in Tony Perkins's grocery cart. No siree.
Oreos likely joined several other foods on the president of the Family Research Council's "Do Not Eat" list last month following Nabisco's release of an LGBT pride image.
In fact, Perkins thinks companies that support LGBT citizens are going to suffer for their support. After JCPenney posted a poor sales and earnings report following its various pro-gay actions, Perkins posted his opinion about corporate tolerance on his organization's website. "Let this be a cautionary tale to General Mills, Starbucks and other corporations on the wrong side of the marriage war," he wrote. "This is a political wager that companies will lose."
But is it?
Several well-known foods and beverages are produced by companies that have been dedicated to LGBT rights for over a decade, and they appear to be doing just fine.
Coca-Cola is ranked 59th in the Fortune 500, Kraft (which produces Oreo) is ranked 50th, and PepsiCo is 41st, and all are strong, profitable companies. That doesn't exactly jibe with the statement that pro-LGBT companies are somehow "losing."
"Catering to homosexuals may earn you a pat on the back from the Human Rights Campaign," Perkins wrote, "but in the long term, it's bad business. Americans want corporate neutrality in the culture wars, and when they don't find it, they'll go elsewhere -- like my family has done with J.C. Penney. Shoppers are shrewd enough to know that speaking up is important -- but sometimes what speaks the loudest is their wallets."
Perkins also called for a boycott of the Girls Scouts of America's annual cookie sale earlier this year due to the organization's LGBT-friendly policies. However, the Girl Scouts experienced an increase in sales during the time of the boycott. This was in part due to the introduction of a mobile credit card payment option, but still ...
And Perkins' call for "corporate neutrality" apparently doesn't extend to Chick-fil-A. His group is encouraging followers on Facebook to "Eat Mor Chikin" after the restaurant chain made its opposition to marriage equality public.
For those on the antigay diet, it might be difficult to imagine a world without Popsicles, Barnum's Animal Crackers, and Sprite. However, we figured we'd go ahead and assist Perkins and other antigay activists by sharing some foods their beliefs might prohibit them from eating. Good luck avoiding them. Really.
Check out the list on the following pages.
Breakfast is almost impossible for anti-LGBT activists. Since General Mills is pro-gay, that takes Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Trix, and other favorites off the table. Kellogg's is also pro-gay. So Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, or Special K aren't available either. Kellogg's also owns Pop-Tarts, Smart Start and Eggo, so good luck with that.
And for dessert ... The One-Million Moms are going to run into plenty of problems. Oreos aren't Nabisco's only cookie; the company also makes Teddy Grahams, Nutter Butter, Honey Maid, Chips Ahoy! and Barnum's Animal Crackers. Chocolate-wise, Hershey is a pro-gay company, as is Toblerone. If ice cream is your fancy, you're going to have to look beyond Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Klondike, and Popsicle. And don't think of using Splenda: It's pro-gay as well.
With all of these companies (and there are more still) and their gay-inclusive agendas, the antigay diet is looking pretty sparse.