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Killing TV Shows, Ending Target: Anti-LGBTQ Org Touts 2018 'Victories'

The American Family Association claims it has the power to influence popular culture, destroy corporations, and place justices on the Supreme Court.

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The intensely anti-LGBTQ American Family Association is pretty full of itself.

The far-right hate group put out a year-end news release on "an impactful year of helping to keep families strong, safe, together and informed," and taking questionable credit for many news events of 2018.

The top bullet point on is list of accomplishments is "Continued the strong #BoycottTarget campaign, now with more than 1.5 million signatures. In May, AFA hand-delivered an additional 500,000 boycott signatures to Target corporate headquarters. Target stock remains low during this Christmas shopping season."

AFA has had a grudge against Target ever since the big-box retailer announced its transgender-inclusive policy for restrooms and changing rooms in 2016 -- it made clear that customers and employees are free to use the facilities that comport with their gender identity. The AFA claims the policy endangers women and children, but there's no evidence that it or any other such inclusive policy has.

And the AFA's much-vaunted boycott doesn't seem to have hurt Target's business. Its sales have been strong, although costs associated with new and refurbished stores have cut into profits. Target's stock price has indeed declined in the past year, but the whole stock market has had its troubles, not just Target.

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Another accomplishment AFA notes is "Prayed for and urged the Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh." Well, a theological discussion on whether God intervenes in such matters could go on for hours, but it was action by humans that resulted in Kavanaugh's confirmation. The AFA and other right-wing groups may actually deserve some credit -- or blame, more like it --for the presence of Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, as these groups undoubtedly urged senators to vote for him. But really, most of the blame lies with senators who lacked the moral courage to reject Kavanaugh for both his ideology and for the credible accusations of sexual assault made against him.

The AFA is really off the mark when it comes to popular culture. The organization says it got the TV programs Once Upon a Time, The Mick, and Lucifer "removed from the airwaves," adding, "Public outcry and lack of advertisers played a major role in the controversial shows' cancellations."

However, ABC and the producers of Once Upon a Time told Entertainment Weekly that the decision to end the show after seven seasons was a mutual one, "It's time to declare victory and go home," co-creator Edward Kitsis said. Well, not that people in show business don't try to put a positive spin on everything, but it doesn't sound like Once Upon a Time had suffered at the hands of AFA's supports. The cancellation of The Mick appears to be purely ratings-driven, and Lucifer has a new life -- dropped by Fox, it's been picked up by Netflix.

The AFA further pats itself on the back for raising awareness of "religious freedom" stories, such as antigay baker Jack Phillips's win at the Supreme Court. It's true he won, but the victory reflected the particular circumstances of his case and the supposed lack of respect that Colorado civil rights enforcers showed for his beliefs, which led him to refuse to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Right-wing forces didn't get the big prize in the case, which would be a blanket right to discriminate against those who offend their religious dogma. That's something they're still going after.

The organization also touts the number of people it reached with its press releases, other publications, broadcasts, and such. Well, every group with a cause tries to get its message out, so that's understandable. But some of those who monitor the information disseminated by the AFA and others are people and publications that oppose them and seek to expose their hatred. That's why The Advocate keeps an eye on these groups.