10% of Curves proceeds goes to anti-choice support...

[bliss_eternal]

...as the founder is a big anti-choice proponent. :grr::mad:
He's entitled to his beliefs, but creating an organization for women, and then using the money from it to hurt them...:wtf:.... can't even find the words to describe how pissed off that makes me.

Apparently, he's quite proud of his anti-choice ties and has appeared on the 700club talking about it (found this on-line through searching).

I apologize for the lack of information from the actual article (snopes). They seem to have something on their site that doesn't allow for cutting or pasting.

See link below:

www.snopes.com/business/alliance/curves.asp



Here's another excerpt (from a blog) and link:

If you are a member of the women-only gym "Curves", you may want to check out where your money is going. Franchise founder Gary Heavin donates money to "Operation Save America", a group that supports anti-choice causes. This is an offshoot of Pat Robertson's "Operation Blessing", so you can assume it is being run by people on the most extreme fringe of the "Religious Right".

Weighing In with Curves Founder Gary Heavin

Gary Heavin, founder and CEO of the fitness chain Curves, supports pro-life causes.

If you'd like to see what "Operation Save America" is all about, check out:

-----------------------snip------------------
taken from:
http://churchmademestupid.blogspot.com/2005/04/curves-and-anti-choice-movement.html

Feel free to google Gary Heavin or Curves founder/ant-choice, etc. Interesting information comes up. :(

Personal opinion and comment:
So glad I never worked for or with this organization. :scared:
But I think it stinks that this guy isn't up front about where the money goes. I know women don't all know this about this organization.

[ismnotwasm]

1. They founders are evangical Christains

According to some show I saw on TV, so this isn't surpising. Curves sounded great for women who need or like the company of other women--espcially in the delicate area of weight, fitness and self-esteem-- until you get to the core values of the company. I've surpised women by telling them about the founders, so you're right, they're not up front.

Supposedly designed to be pro-woman and follow an anti-woman agenda. Nice.
Edit;, I just checked out thier website, nary a mention about their roots, and from what I remember, It was a big part of the whole idea of Curves, not just the personal faith of the founders of the company. Hmm.

[bliss_eternal]

3. I found some stuff on Naral about this...

...from a few years ago. When organizations like Naral found out, and called them on it--they denied the allegations (see below). :shrug: While admitting to giving large sums of money to organizations that do attempt to coerce pregnant women to carry to term (forced birthers).

So, it seems this guy is typical in that he's caught up in the delusions they endorse--and is confused by their double talk, manipulations and lies.

I'm linking the articles from Naral below:

http://www.prochoicewashington.org/news/headlines/200407211.shtml

---------------------------------------------------

Roberts and most of the 60 women (and a few men) who responded after Monday's column need to know that reports in the San Francisco Chronicle have been retracted with apologies to Curves Founder CEO Gary Heavin. He did not give millions to extreme anti-abortion groups.

"Neither Curves International Inc. nor my wife, nor I gave money to Operation Save America or any other radical pro-life group," Heavin said in a statement. "The newspaper flat out got it wrong."

The born-again Christian from Waco, Texas, did give many hundreds of thousands of dollars to clinics and centers that offer health care to women while working to dissuade them from terminating unwanted pregnancies. He writes generous checks to centers stressing abstinence-only programs for teens. And he withdrew his funding of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and its Race for the Cure because the foundation supports Planned Parenthood, which he strongly opposes.

"I'm not afraid to tell the truth," Heavin told Today's Christian magazine. "There's nothing healthy about abortion."

Heavin told the magazine he's confident that, once his members learn the facts, they'll stay with the program. And some are, while others are making a different choice.

--------------snip------------------

For a caller named Louise, it's about dang time that women woke up, snapped out of it and informed themselves about the people who pocket their money.

Years ago Louise supported Amway products until she learned company founders supported anti-women's-rights advocate Phyllis Schlafly: "You know, that one who balked at women doing anything but staying home and bowing down to their husbands?"

Louise went to Curves once but she's not going back. "Women need to know what the hell is going on," she said. "Gloria Steinem can't do it all alone!"

excerpts from:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/paynter/180078_paynter30.html

[Control-Z]

2. I'm not at all surprised

I'd heard that they played religious music in their facilities, and promoted the same in some of their reading material. I guess I had just assumed there was an anti-choice element there.

[bliss_eternal]

4. You were right.

It's scary to me. The place is advertised as a women's workout facility, not as a subliminal religious indocrination organization. It's devious and misleading.

:scared: Anyone that would pull support from an organization that provides research on breast cancer is evil, in my opinion. He's like the other fundies that decided to boycott American Girl dolls because the creator supports Planned Parenthood. Bunch of crazy control freaks. :grr::mad:

[bliss_eternal]

5. Why do the dudes that fail to pay child support....

...always seem to fall into the "forced birther" spell? :eyes:

Quote:
He went through a divorce and served six months jailtime for failing to pay child support.

quote from:
http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/17/smbusiness/pitching_curves/

Um, yeah....your holiness, try gathering all the deadbeat assholes that fail to support the children they helped create, and provide a health club for them...send the proceeds to organizations that help women get their money from such assholes. When or if you choose to do that, instead of trying to manipulate women w/all your fundie crap, you might actually get a label of worthwhile in my book. Until then, shut the fuck up and keep your self righteous, born again bullshit off of women's bodies and miles away from their choices.

[ismnotwasm]

6. Sacred sperm

No matter where it lands, no matter what the outcome, sperm is sacred thus any results thereof must be sacred as well. Women, of course should just realize the gift of such profound meaning and allow their bodies to be used as incubators, and then support the results themselves you see, because sperm is so special.

Actually I think they're all mentally ill in some strange way, a defective mental blind spot that has nothing to do with reality and everything to do with a pathological need for control. Sick monsters

[bliss_eternal]

7. LOL!

So it's really not about the fetus, as much as it is the almighty sperm?! LOL! LOL!

I have to say, I'm inclined to agree that there is some level of mental illness present in this thought process, sadly. But the sperm comments have a ring of truth, too (and it made me laugh haha).