7 Homophobic Companies to Boycott and/or Divest Their Stock
You’d think back in 2013, with DOMA having been found unconstitutional, people would step into the present and accept the future. That future being, of course, that, and you’re going to want to sit down for this revelation: gay men and women are people, too! Seriously.
The United States Department of Labor may have ruled that all businesses in every state must provide benefit coverage for same-sex marriages, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to put an end to hateful and medieval homophobia.
Here are 7 US companies that prove this to be true. You can divest company stock ownership (see stock symbol after the name):
1. Urban Outfitters (stock symbol URBN)
Urbs, as they are called, is so bad in so many ways. From racism to only having two women on the board of directors (one of whom is the president and founder’s wife), to ripping off independent designers by stealing their ideas, Urban Outfitters can also add anti-gay sentiments to their list.
In 2008, president and founder Richard Hayne donated $13,150 to Christian fascist Rick Santorum’s campaign - in his failed attempt at procuring the presidency.
If there’s one thing that Santorum will always be remembered for is the definition of his name thanks to Dan Savage who thought the homophobic former Senator of Pennsylvania needed a lesson. If you don’t know what we're talking about, click here.
Granted, Hayne's donation was not a large amount, but to support someone who is so adamantly anti-gay rights on every level does say a lot about the man behind a well-known clothing brand. That same year the store also pulled an “I Support Same Sex Marriage,” t-shirt from the shelves after only a week.
So, you do the math.
2. Exxon (stock symbol XOM)
Based out of Texas, the huge climate-denying and fake science funding oil company has been fighting for years against non-discrimination protection and equal benefits coverage for their employees. For 20 + years the issue was on the table for the shareholders’ meeting this past spring, and for a consecutive year, Exxon wouldn’t budge.
They’ve even taken extreme measures to try to erase the agenda all together: Last year the company went so far as to ask the Securities and Exchange Commission for a ruling that it needn’t keep including the proposal on its ballot, but was rejected.
And before Mobil was acquired by Exxon, Mobil had policies to protect discrimination against gay men and lesbians, and even offered benefits to same-sex couples, Exxon took that all away once it had Mobil in its clutches in 1999. It did the same thing to XTO Energy in 2009.
Exxon, it doesn’t matter if you extended benefits to same-sex couples as of October 1. We all know why you did it - because you had no choice due to new laws, and not because you believed it to be the humane right thing to do.
We all need to stop buying their gas and divest their stock. You don't need them for investment dividends. There are much better options.
3. Purina (subsidiary of Nestle - stock symbol NSRGY)
If you don’t want your dollars to go to a company that isn’t gay-friendly, then put down the Beggin’ Strips and Fancy Feast.
Not only did Purina score a 45 out of a possible 100 on the recent Human Rights Campaign scale, but they also gave into the demands of the Christian hate group American Family Association.
When asked by the Christian fascist group to pull its ads from the humor show Saturday Night Live (because it was deemed “immoral”, Purina succumbed to the demand. Yes, this was years ago, but some things never change.
Currently, the company doesn’t provide a policy that protects gender identity or expression, nor does it offer health care coverage for partners of their gay employees.
But hey! It does provide “soft benefits,” which means your partner can get a discount on their Puppy Chow! Awesome!
4. Cracker Barrel (stock symbol CBRL)
It’s almost a laughable stereotype that Cracker Barrel would be racist and anti-gay because of its southern roots. But of course there’s nothing funny about a company that doesn’t treat its employees equally.
In 1991, 11 employees were fired for not displaying “normal heterosexual values,” as was prescribed by an intra-company memo. Although founder Dan Evins later called this policy a “mistake,” yet the attitude remains.
Since 2008, Cracker Barrel has jumped from 15 to 35 on the HRC scale, but that’s not much. It also has yet to include same-sex couples in its benefits coverage and doesn’t have a non-discrimination policy that protects “gender identity and/or expression,” according to HRC.
It should also be noted that in 2004, the US Justice Department, after a long investigation, found that the chain restaurant had segregated customers, seated and served white customers before black customers, and allowed for white servers to refuse to wait on black customers
5. Chick-fil-A
Remember when Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy came out as being “very much” against gay marriage.
“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that...we know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”
What followed those remarks in 2012 were valid protests and boycotting, but yet sales went up 12 percent due to sick evangelical homophobia. Since then the company remains about in the same standing with a Chick-fil-A joint opening somewhere for every one that closes.
Make them to continue paying financially for their hateful homophobia!
6. Boy Scouts of America
Perhaps, the Boy Scouts of America don’t fall under the guise of a company per se, but as an organization that relies on donations, it’s good to know where your money is going should you choose to hand it over to these folks.
The Boy Scouts of America live by two major rules: believing in God and not being gay. To not adhere to either one, means there is no place for you in the organization.
Thanks to the urging of open-minded board members and an evolving society as a whole, the BSA decided to allow openly gay boys to join as of January 1st, 2014, but there is still no budging on letting openly gay men be leaders. Of course most pedophiles are Christian heterosexuals, but that fact doesn’t seem to matter.
That’s a debate that’s likely to go on for years, but some progress is better than none at all.
However, the Girl Scouts of U.S.A. don’t take a stance on the gay issues. In 2011, they even permitted a transgender Colorado girl to join, explaining, “If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.”
So, keep on buying those cookies from the Girl Scouts, folks!
7. The Salvation Army
If those ringing bells every holiday season weren’t enough to make you not want to donate, this will. You’d think as a charitable organization The Salvation Army would be all about charity. However, that’s not the case.
“The Salvation Army has a history of active discrimination against gays and lesbians. While you might think you’re helping the hungry and homeless by dropping a few dollars in the bright red buckets, not everyone can share in the donations.”
Bill Browning notes on The Bilerico Project: “The organization also has a record of actively lobbying governments worldwide for anti-gay policies — including an attempt to make consensual gay sex illegal.”
If that doesn’t make you feel uneasy, then how about the fact that they believe gays need to be put to death?
Major Andrew Craibe, a Salvation Army Media Relations Director, went on public radio hosted by journalist Serena Ryan, to discuss a recent call by LGBTQ parents for a boycott of the nonprofit for its anti-gay policies and beliefs.
Ryan questioned Craibe about Salvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine, the manual used to train Salvation Army “soldiers” and members. Several chapters refer to the sin of homosexuality, including a section that cites Romans 1:18-32, which includes a admonition that homosexuals “deserved to die.”
Ryan: According to the Salvation Army gay parents deserve death. How do you respond to that, as part of your doctrine?
Craibe: Well, that’s a part of our belief system.
Ryan: So they should die.
Craibe: You know, we have an alignment to the Scriptures, but that’s our belief.
Yes, a human being, in the 21st Century, thinks another human being should die simply because they’re gay.
Want to donate to a company that isn’t using its money to support the anti-gay ideology? Then hit up the modernist American Red Cross and give them some blood or your coins.
* Of course this list is just a handful of companies who have knowingly, and without care, discriminated against gays. But if you truly care about where your dollars are going, you can get the complete rundown of just how gay-friendly a company is or isn’t by checking out the Human Rights Campaign’s Buyers Guide.