BENTONVILLE, Ark. (ABP) — A group that had threatened a Thanksgiving-weekend boycott over gay-rights issues at the world's largest retailer has called it off.
The American Family Association's website reported Nov. 22 that the group had canceled a boycott of Wal-Mart planned for the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. The period is traditionally the busiest time of the year for retailers and marks the traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
AFA Chairman Donald Wildmon had called for the boycott because of Wal-Mart's recent contributions to gay-rights groups. The Mississippi-based AFA claims more than 3 million members nationwide.
Late on the evening of Nov. 21, the Arkansas-based discount chain released a statement saying it would not make donations to controversial groups.
“Wal-Mart will not make corporate contributions to support or oppose highly controversial issues unless they directly relate to our ability to serve our customers,” the statement said. “Wal-Mart does not have a position on same-sex marriage, and we do not give preference to gay or lesbian suppliers.”
However, it continued, “Wal-Mart does have a strong commitment to diversity among our associates and against discrimination everywhere.”
The AFA, in its website statement, declared that it “is pleased with this announcement” and that the group believes “that Wal-Mart will remain neutral in cultural battles.”
Despite the AFA's reaction, Wal-Mart officials did not renounce some of the company's earlier actions that had rankled conservative groups. For instance, earlier this year Wal-Mart joined the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, announced it would add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy, and began offering benefits to the same-sex domestic partners of its employees.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay-rights group, ranks large corporations for their gay-friendly policies toward employees. While many other Fortune 500 companies have scores of 100 on a scale from 0 to 100, Wal-Mart's score in the most recent ranking is 65. That's an increase from a score of 14 in the 2002 rankings.
A more obscure group that had joined the AFA action said it would continue plans to boycott Wal-Mart and its bulk-store sibling, Sam's Club, this weekend as well as organize protests at the stores.
A scrolling announcement on the website of Operation Rescue/Operation Save America Nov. 22 said the group would boycott Wal-Mart: “Don't buy the hype! Wal-Mart is still in bed with homosexuality!” Operation Rescue and its head, Flip Benham, are best known for attempts during the 1980s to shut down abortion clinics through protests.
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