It looks like we're going to see a lot fewer rainbow stickers on the bumpers of Jaguars and Land Rovers in the coming years. They'll be replaced by fish emblems and bumper stickers with slogans like "Caution: In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned." That's because Ford Motor Company has just capitulated to the far-right American Family Association's demands that the company stop being so nice to gay people.
AFA had threatened a boycott more than six months ago, but suspended it when Ford agreed to meet with them to discuss their concerns. This week, AFA dropped its boycott threat after Ford agreed to pull its Jaguar and Land Rover advertising in the gay media. "They've heard our concerns; they are acting on our concerns. We are pleased with where we are," said AFA chairman Donald Wildmon.
Why would the AFA and its phalanx of fundamentalist followers care that Ford tries to sell cars to gays and lesbians? It's just business, right?
A recent Volvo ad in HRC's Equality Magazine showed two men with a baby, and a woman embracing her pregnant partner.
"Whether you're starting a family, or creating one as you go... Whoever makes up your family, think about making Volvo a part of it." Surely, this is the kind of ad that works Wildmon's Fruit of the Looms into a wad.
Until last week, Ford was considered one of the most gay-friendly Fortune 500 companies. The HRC website still lists Ford in its Equality Buyers Guide, but clearly, Ford's commitment to the LGBT community isn't as strong as we believed.
Ford has insisted that this is strictly a "business decision." If Ford really just decided to pull the ads because they weren't effective, then why is Donald Wildmon so smugly declaring victory?
This "business decision" is the crux of the problem. We've been making great headway in Corporate America by arguing the "business case" for diversity. Offering domestic partnership benefits doesn't cost much, but attracts highly talented employees, we've argued successfully. Promoting respect and inclusion increases productivity, we attest, because employees who are respected do better work. We don't bother to argue that it's simply the right thing to do.
HRC, which rates companies on a 100-point Corporate Equality Index, explains that corporations are becoming more gay friendly because "fairness is good for business."
But that makes for a dangerous equation. If the AFA folks buy more Fords than we do, we lose. Justice cannot be denied just because it doesn't make money. It may be that Ford has concluded that an Equality Index score of 100 isn't the right mark to aim for. They may decide to go for a sweet spot where the fundamentalists leave them alone; maybe an 82 or a 76.
The bottom line is, indeed, the bottom line. Ford is a corporation that exists to make money. As long as "shareholder value" is the only value that matters in Corporate America, Donald Wildmon will continue to carve notches into his belt.
Until we hold corporations accountable for more than their profits, this is what we can continue to expect. Ultimately, LGBT equality in the workplace will be a house of cards until society holds corporations accountable for more than making a buck.
When that day comes, maybe this will be the next ad for Mastercard (which scores a respectable 86 on the Equality Index):
Diversity training: $200,000
Equal benefits: $800,000
Doing the right thing regardless of the impact on the bottom line: Priceless
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4 comments:
I think you're putting alot of faith in Donald Wildmon's word.
Peronsally I wouldn't believe the guy if he told me he was lying. It's not surprising AT ALL to me that he will claim victory if he gets the chance to make it appear that he had something to do with it even though he didn't.
Interestingly enough, the ad you mention in your post will still run. None of the Volvo ads will be pulled, only Land Rover and Jaguar. Also Ford is still sponsoring a variety of gay events, and still is a leader in gay-friendliness to it's gay and lesbian employees.
It's also not a matter of the ads being effective or not, per se. With the American automobile industry in a rapid downward spiral (all of them are caught up in the same lull that looks like it might bankrupt Chrysler), it's not at all surprising to see various cuts happen to try to save money. These ads may have been effective BUT if they weren't getting AS MUCH of a return as another ad program (which is likely since we only make up 10% of the population), they would be quicker to go. It's simple economics.
And by the way, economics is what it's all about when you talk to Corporate America. It's a pleasant thought to talk about "the right thing to do" but you may as well be speaking Greek. Money is the language of industry, and that's not necessarily a bad thing either. Generally speaking "the right thing to do" is also "good for business." When businesses stop caring about their "bottom line" you're MasterCard ad will end more like this: "Spending exhorbent amounts of money in a failing economy to advertise to every subsection of the human race until there's no cash left in the budget and we have to close our doors putting millions of employees - including gay and lesbian employees - out of jobs: priceless".
I'm curious how you plan to hold corporations "responsible" for anything without using money. With a boycott? Nope, a boycott only effects the bottom line, that's still what they're worried about. With upset letters? While I'm sure their PR department likes busy days, they only care about upset letters out of fear that the upset author won't buy their product. Again it's the bottom line.
It comes down to this. Donald Wildmon say the AFA won. Ford, the facts, and common business sense say that Ford had to make cuts somewhere and one (of many) of those places was GLBT specific ads for 2 (not all) of their brands. Basically it's a matter of how much faith you put in Donald Wildmon. Personally, I don't consider him very trustworthy, especially when all the evidence points against him.
Dolphin,
You make some good points. If Wildmon really has nothing to celebrate, then Ford needs to place some full page ads in the Advocate and Out magazines that the company's values are completely contrary to those of the AFA.
Maybe Wildmon backed down because Ford actually convinced him they would never capitulate so a boycott would be futile. He did end up calling off his Disney boycott after it was clear it had no effect.
As it often does, new information changes everything.
Now that Ford has also cut out it's support for any gay events, and switched it's Volvo ads in gay publications from "gay ads" to generic mainstream ads, it appears that Ford in fact did give in to the AFA after all.
I've contacted them on th ematter and have not heard back.
Well, that's very disappointing. I was really hoping Wildmon was blowing smoke.
Here's the latest from AP:
Gay and lesbian organizations asked Ford Motor Co. on Monday to reinstate advertising for its luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands in gay publications and to distance itself from an anti-gay group which had boycotted the automaker's vehicles.
Ford officials met with leaders of the Human Rights Campaign, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and other organizations in Washington, D.C., after the automaker said last week its luxury brands would no longer advertise in gay publications.
The move came nearly a week after the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association canceled its boycott of Ford vehicles, which started in May amid criticism that the nation's No. 2 automaker was too gay-friendly.
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said Ford was asked to "make a very strong statement" disassociating itself from the AFA while reinstating the Jaguar and Land Rover advertising in the gay press.
Ford Chairman and CEO Bill Ford said in a statement, "we value all people — regardless of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and cultural or physical differences."
Ford told gay rights leaders that it had not made any deal with the AFA to end the automaker's advertising of Jaguar and Land Rover in gay media, the groups said.
"They said they felt a need to respond to their Southern dealers and their Southern dealers were very concerned about a boycott," Solmonese said.
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