Over 540,000 Sign Home Depot Boycott Over Gay Activism
More than 540,000 people have committed to a boycott of Home Depot over its support of homosexual activism, according to a spokesperson of the group organizing the boycott.
Randy Sharp, director of Special Projects at the American Family Association, said that more than half a million people have signed the Home Depot Boycott pledge since the signature campaign launched in July 2010. The AFA Special Projects director said the number of signers is normal for this length of time and type of campaign.
“A boycott is very simple. It is nothing more than saying to a company that you are using company profit to support something that I oppose. As a result, I will no longer shop at your store. I will shop at your competitors’ [store],” Sharp explained to The Christian Post.
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According to AFA, its action alert e-mails reach about 2 million people.
Home Depot has been involved in several gay pride parades, including the San Francisco Gay Pride parade in June 2011 when it rolled out a flat-bed company truck with a large rainbow sign and the name Home Depot on it.
On the company’s website, Home Depot says it strives to “raise internal awareness and understanding of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender customer segment and promote inclusion and respect for all associates.”
But AFA takes issue that a home improvement company, with the “sole business purpose” to sell quality products at a good price to help people improve their homes, “is moving outside of their business purpose to engage in a culture war.”
“They are choosing sides when they shouldn’t be,” maintained Sharp.
In early June, AFA delivered 474,161 petition signatures to Home Depot Chairman Frank Blake at the annual shareholders meeting requesting that the company remain neutral regarding the homosexual agenda. Blake responded by affirming Home Depot’s commitment to diversity.
Sharp claims that Home Depot has refused every request to meet to discuss the issue.
“Home Depot will meet with homosexual activists. They will give them tens of thousands of dollars. They will march in their parades. But they won’t give the American Family Association five minutes of their time,” complained Sharp.
He said AFA plans to continue the Home Depot boycott until the company agrees to remain neutral on the issue.
In response to the AFA boycott, Steve Holmes, corporate communications & external affairs at Home Depot, said to The Christian Post in an email: “We’re committed to respecting and recognizing the diversity of all people and fostering an inclusive environment for all. To that end, our local store associates support and engage their local communities in a variety of ways; but it is not our intent to promote any political or social agenda.”
In the past, AFA has boycotted Gap Inc. over “censoring” the word “Christmas” in its ad commercials and promotions. The pro-family group has also boycotted McDonald’s and Ford Motor Co. over their support of the homosexual agenda.
