AFA May Renew Boycott on Ford over Gay Ads
The American Family Association is considering renewing a boycott of Ford Motor Company after it said the automaker turned back on some agreements it reached with the organization.
The AFA had initially called for a boycott of Ford on May 31 this year because of the company's support for advertising in gay publications. However, the Christian pro-family group suspended the boycott less than one week into the boycott and agreed to wait nearly six months after a request was made by the chairman of national Ford dealers. According to the chairman, dealers and their employees had no control over Ford Motor company marketing decisions.
Regarding Ford Motor Company's marketing efforts AFA President Donald E. Wildmon said in a statement on Thursday that it had reached an understanding with the company.
“We had an agreement with Ford, worked out in good faith," Wildmon said. "Unfortunately, some Ford Motor Company officials made the decision to violate the good faith agreement. We are now considering our response to the violation and expect to reach a decision very soon."
“All we wanted was for Ford to refrain from choosing sides in the cultural war, and supporting groups which promote same-sex marriage is not remaining neutral,” Wildmon added.
Last week, following the end of AFA’s boycott, the Ford Motor Company said it would no longer advertise its Jaguar and Land Rover brands in gay publications, though it denied that it came under pressure to do so.
A spokesman for Ford, Mike Moran, told the Associated Press last week that a division of the Ford Company had decided to cut back on advertising because of market difficulties. The premier automotive group had reported a pretax loss of $10 million in the third quarter.
"They feel pressure on their marketing budgets, so they decided to streamline marketing across the board," Moran said. "They're not supporting as many publications and events as before in 2006."
After the Ford decision last week, pro-gay groups demanded to speak with Ford officials to see if a deal had been worked out with the AFA. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said it wanted assurances.
