Ford: It wasn't pushed to drop gay ties

Automaker says not sponsoring GLAAD event has nothing to do with Christian group.

by David Shepardson

WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Co. acknowledged Friday it had dropped its sponsorship of a gay advocacy group's annual event, but denied it was the result of pressure from a conservative group.

The American Family Association, a Tupelo, Miss.-based Christian group, has waged a two-year campaign to boycott and pressure Ford to halt its support of gay organizations and events and stop advertising in outlets that cater to gays and lesbians.

"It appears that Ford Motor Company, in response to AFA's boycott, is silently dropping public support for the homosexual agenda," the group said in a statement posted Thursday on its Web site.

The site noted that Ford wasn't sponsoring the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards -- a decision Ford and GLAAD confirmed. Ford's Jaguar brand had sponsored the event in recent years, including last year. The awards are a series of ceremonies that begin in New York later this month.

But Ford denied it dropped the sponsorship because of the AFA. The automaker also said it continues to advertise in gay and lesbian publications.

"We have elected to forgo sponsoring that program this year," Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said, adding that "advertising and sponsorship decisions for all our brands are strictly driven by business considerations.

"We buy advertising to put Ford's message in front of as many customers as possible and includes customers of all walks of life -- customers who have a lot of other options given the competitive marketplace."

Kinley said the company hadn't ruled out sponsoring the event in the future.

In May 2005, the American Family Association called for a boycott of Ford, claiming the automaker supported homosexual groups. Shortly after, the group suspended the boycott after meeting with Ford executives and dealers.

But early last year, after claiming Ford hadn't maintained its "neutrality," the group registered a Web site, boycottford.com, and reinstated its effort.

The group has gone to great lengths to influence Ford, encouraging members to send a message to CEO and President Alan Mulally. It offers writers the option to click a box when e-mailing that reads: "I will pray for Alan Mulally." It urges people to print out its boycott Ford petition and distribute it at Sunday school and church.

Ford's advertising is similar to efforts by other large corporations and automakers.

Ford, General Motors Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler were among 138 companies to get a perfect score in a September report by another gay advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign, which gives companies a "corporate equality score" on the basis of their positions on gay issues and whether a company "engages in appropriate or respectful advertising, marketing or sponsorship."

Despite Ford's decision, "we still have a very nice relationship with Jaguar," said Mark McCarthy, senior director of communications for GLAAD.

Companies realize the gay and lesbian consumer base is a very attractive demographic, McCarthy said. "The demographic certainly drives very positively for business."

More than 100 companies -- including IBM, Absolut, Budweiser, Motorola, Starbucks, Allstate and TimeWarner -- sponsor the awards.

The 18th annual awards begin March 27 in New York. Ceremonies will follow in Los Angeles, San Francisco and south Florida.

The awards honor "mainstream media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives," GLAAD says.

The events have featured celebrities, including Michael Douglas and Billy Crystal.

Source: Detroit News Washington Bureau