Call WALMART and protest them folding to the American Family Association

[kevinbgoode]

Now I know many of you don't bother shopping at WalMart anyway for a variety of reasons - but this latest crap has done more than just push me over the line. After the American Family Association issued demands to regulate the tone of advertising for the retail giant (and WalMart agreed -for the holy-day rightwing Christian-only season), they've now attempted to issue a public statement to pander to the unfounded complaints of the American "Family" Association that contributions to the GLBT organizations and membership in the GLBT Chamber of Commerce constituted an endorsement of the homosexual marriage agenda.

WalMart issued a statement which said the company does not contribute money to any "highly controversial" issues or organizations but that it is committed to the concept of diversity in the workplace, a stunning statement since the American "Family" Association believes that discrimination in the workplace against gay Americans is necessary to preserve our "moral" society.
What is even more interesting is that WalMart doesn't seem to have any problem contributing large amounts to both the Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army, both organizations of a highly controversial nature who practice public discrimination in the employment of gay Americans.

What this means, (at least to me) is that WalMart only considers issues "controversial" if the American "Family" Association and/or some other rightwing "religious" organization sends massive autobot mailings to the company complaining about them marketing to any other Americans. In their mind, WalMart exists exclusively for the AFA-designated "christian" family, and something as innocent as even carrying "Brokeback Mountain" is an assault on true AFA-defined "Christian" values.

Please take a few minutes and call WalMart and let them know that you have AMERICAN values, and those values prohibit you from doing business with any company which has its policies controlled by some fringe right wing "religious" organization such as WalMart. Point out that the AFA dictates holiday season advertising to them and now they are dictating a duplicitous company policy defining for them what a "controversial" issue is. WalMart has claimed it made changes to their policy in regards to gay Americans in response to "concerns from customers and employees" rather than the American "Family" Association. ASK them how a company that claims to be committed to diversity in the workplace would stand there and listen to religious bigot customers and employees degrade ANOTHER group of customers and employees, and then claim to make a blanket policy from such "concern." Then ask them why they are giving money to the Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army, when both organizations go against the very diversity principles and avoidance of controversy that their "new" policy establishes.

Here is their contact number. By the way, feel free to spout off any of your other objections to their way of doing business anyway. It's time this company heard from someone besides the American "Family" Association.

Contact: 1-800-925-6278

You'll have a few recorded buttons to push, but they'll pick up the phone and record your complaint.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

1. Did they change their policy on gay partner benefits etc

?

[MADem]

2. Yep, just call 'em on the lie about controversy. They should figure out that

it's HYPOCRISY that got the GOP in trouble.

FWIW, you can EMAIL them as well: http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=221

[Vorta]

3. Sounds pretty nebulous to me

It sounds like Walmart isn't going to do anything differently. From a business standpoint, though, if they blew us off I wouldn't blame them. We can't essentially swear off a big company like that and then act shocked when they don't care if we approve of what they are doing. They know that we tend to support unions and other employer controls which benefit the workers. So what do they have to lose by telling us to go screw?

I think they could as easily tell the AFA to go screw, but for their own convenience they need to do that more diplomatically, because the AFA will have "BABY KILLA!" signs out fron in a matter of minutes.

Bottom line: Walmart is no big they can do whatever they want. Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, and the second largest corporation in the world. They don't care- they don't have to.

[kevinbgoode]

4. They won't remain the largest retailer if they tick off enough people

and this is one who isn't going to set foot in one of their stores. Let them cater to the AFA exclusively - and see how long they remain the largest retailer.