Tony Gosgnach
The Interim

The website www.onemilliondads.com, which monitors objectionable media content and encourages the public to respond, is reporting a number of recent successes from its efforts. Among them, a number of companies have cancelled advertising on the racy TV program Desperate Housewives, including Safeway, Liberty Mutual, Kohl’s, Alberto Culver, Leapfrog, Tyson Foods and Lowe’s. Wrangler Jeans, Coca Cola and Sonic Drive-In, meanwhile, have backed off from advertising on the program The Shield, while Bayer, Red Lobster, and Allstate won’t be sponsoring Medium anymore.

Unfortunately, at last report, Old Navy was continuing to advertise on Desperate Housewives. See the onemilliondads.com website for many successes that illustrate the effectiveness of consumer action in prompting changes in corporate behaviour.

In other good news, resistance from cable television operators outside major U.S. urban centres is reported to be delaying the launch, by MTV and Viacom, of Logo, a new channel targeted at homosexuals. The channel had been scheduled to debut in February, but was then slated for June 30.

The Exxon/Mobil corporation has rebuffed a seventh attempt to extend special rights to homosexuals at this year’s shareholders’ meeting. CEO Lee Raymond says, “As long as I’m CEO, we’re going to do what’s right.” Fewer than 30 per cent of shareholders favoured the extension of homosexual rights.

Retail giant Wal-Mart, through its “Office of Diversity,” appears to be starting a homosexual club at its corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. An internal memo, dated April 22, encouraged gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered associates to band together and “foster a sense of community.” It is thought this will eventually lead to financial support for health benefits and homosexually oriented events.

Computer behemoth Microsoft has backtracked and says it will support a bill in Washington state to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians in housing, employment and insurance. Chief executive Steven A. Ballmer says the company will now support the bill and work with other companies to support similar federal legislation. Nike and Boeing are also backing the legislation.

LifeSite News recently offered the reminder that the Canadian Cancer Society is supporting research that involves the destruction of human embryos. In 2002, as part of its then-new health research guidelines, it had openly declared, “The Canadian Cancer Society will fund research using human embryonic stem cells.” The society is also funding research to attempt to produce white blood cells from embryonic stem cells.

The American Family Association says Kraft Foods is a big sponsor of the 2006 Gay Olympic Games, scheduled for Chicago. The company has also authorized that its company logo be placed on the games’ website as a major corporate sponsor.