YOU can hear arguments for and against same-sex marriage. You can hear arguments for and against gays in the military. You can hear arguments for and against taking the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality literally.
Should openly gay scoutmasters be allowed in the Boy Scouts? Should ``gay pride'' be celebrated with flamboyant parades? Should churches ordain gay and lesbian clergy? You can hear arguments for and against each proposition.
Or can you?
Increasingly, gay activists are insisting that you not be allowed to hear those arguments. Instead of trying to refute opinions they don't share, the new strategy is to label them ``hateful'' or ``dangerous'' and to silence the people making them.
The campaign to kill the ``Dr. Laura'' TV show before it debuts this fall is an alarming case in point.
Laura Schlessinger's views are anathema to many. A moral traditionalist, she disapproves of homosexuality. It is a form of ``deviant sexual behavior,'' she says -- the result of a ``biological error'' that impedes gays and lesbians from being attracted to the opposite sex.
Homosexuality is hardly the only practice Schlessinger disapproves of, as anyone who listens to her knows. She opposes premarital sex, abortion, single motherhood, serial marriage, people who cheat on their spouses, working parents who put their children in day care, and most divorce. She is rigid and censorious and blunt. She is also stunningly popular, far and away the most successful woman in radio history and the author of four bestselling books. In the marketplace of ideas, she has found many takers.
She also has many detractors who denounce her views as ``homophobia'' and bigotry. But rather than debate those views, her opponents aim to suppress them. They are lobbying Paramount to cancel ``Dr. Laura,'' flooding TV stations that have signed up to carry it with letters and calls of protest, and putting pressure on advertisers to shun not only the TV show but the radio program as well. Procter & Gamble yielded, dropping its plan to sponsor the new program. A few days earlier United Airlines said it would no longer run ads for Schlessinger's radio show in its in-flight magazine.
Once upon a time, activists on the left hated blacklists and loved free speech. They embraced the classic position attributed to Voltaire: I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Gay-rights advocates especially appealed for tolerance. Live and let live, they said. Be open-minded.
No more. ``Tolerance'' now means no tolerance for speakers whose opinions on homosexuality are politically incorrect. We don't like what Dr. Laura says; therefore, she may not say it.
It isn't only Dr. Laura.
On a growing number of college campuses, evangelical student groups are being punished for adhering to traditional Christian views on homosexuality. When the Christian Fellowship at Tufts University would not allow a lesbian member to run for a leadership post -- not because of her sexual orientation, but because she rejected the group's belief that homosexual activity is wrong -- it was stripped of its status as a legitimate campus organization. That meant it lost student government funding and the right to use ``Tufts'' in its name, and was barred from communicating through university channels.
The ruling was overturned on due process grounds, but may be reimposed. Meanwhile, there was no reprieve for the Christian Fellowship at Grinnell College in Iowa, which was ``derecognized'' in 1997. Similar campaigns to penalize evangelicals are under way at Middlebury College in Vermont, Whitman College in Washington, and Ball State University in Indiana.
Those leading the assault on the Christian groups claim they simply want to stop discrimination against gays. But the religious fellowships don't discriminate against gays; they welcome members of any sexual identity. The groups do, however, insist on the right to decide what they believe, and that is what the campus inquisitors cannot abide. Like the protesters trying to get the plug pulled on Dr. Laura, they demand outward ideological conformity. No one may dissent from their gay agenda, and those who do must be stifled.
Last month the New York Times reported on three religious scholars -- ``respected Protestant theologians'' and ``thoughtful conservatives'' all -- who had been invited to join a televised discussion of same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay ministers. Each refused, afraid of being vilified as ``anti-gay and anti-compassion'' if he deviated from the liberal line. None would even allow the Times to quote him by name. One said he worried about family members who ``had felt the `heat' for his previous public statements.''
Intimidation, censorship, blacklisting, ``derecognition'' -- these are the coward's ways to win an argument. Those who believe in gay rights used to also believe in reason, persuasion, and the free exchange of ideas. What happened?
- United Tries for Gaystapo-Friendly Skies
News/Current Events Front Page News Keywords: GAYSTAPO
Source: Businessweek
Published: May 24, 2000 Author: Michael Arndt in Chicago
Posted on 05/30/2000 08:40:14 PDT by 11th_VA
United Tries for Gay-Friendly Skies
The airline is again wooing the affluent gay customers it once alienated because the market is too valuable to lose
Late in April, more than 200,000 people packed the National Mall for one of the largest gay-rights rallies in U.S. history, the Millennium March on Washington for Equality. Across the crowded plaza, hand-lettered placards and colorful banners demanded legal protection for gays and proclaimed hometown or political affiliations. Up at the main stage, there was another sign of the times: a billboard for United Airlines, the official airline of the march.
United's sponsorship of the Apr. 30 demonstration -- a six-figure swap of cash and discounted tickets for ad space and publicity -- represents a second coming out for the world's biggest airline. As far back as the mid-1990s, United was packaging vacations for gay travelers. It was an early advertiser in gay media. And it has been a prominent gay-events supporter, underwriting San Francisco's biggest annual AIDS fund-raiser, for instance, for the past four years.
The outreach program is about more than politically correct posturing: The real motive is money. As United knows, gays are one of the most affluent and free-spending minorities in the nation. Market research shows that, as with members of other demographic subsets, gay men and women are loyal to companies that appeal specifically to them -- especially if advertisers back up their pitches with sympathetic personnel policies. "We support those who support us," notes Charles Zukow, a principal of Browne Zukow Associates, a marketing shop in San Francisco.
RICHES IN DIVERSITY. But UAL Corp. has some lost ground to cover. It squandered much of its goodwill by picking a fight with San Francisco over an ordinance mandating benefits for same-sex partners of employees of city contractors. The airline's relations with the gay community probably hit their low point at a concert by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus a year ago. Addressing the audience, the troupe's director rebuked United for refusing to extend domestic partnership benefits to gay employees and symbolically handed back United's $15,000 sponsorship check. The chorus then signed up with American Airlines. Now, United is trying to make up with the gay and lesbian community.
After 26 months in court -- and a boycott that sent business to archrival American -- the company caved in last year and is extending benefits to domestic partners of UAL employees and retirees worldwide. Open enrollment started in May. Next up: a niche-market ad campaign in June, including print ads tailored to gays and promotions with other gay events and groups. "The more United is visible in the gay community, the quicker the past will fade," predicts Joseph Oshinski, acting executive director of United with Pride, the airline's gay-employees group.
The outreach program is about more than salving hurt feelings or politically correct posturing; the real motive is money. Plenty of other companies are also discovering there truly is "richness" in the country's diversity. Smart media buyers have long been targeting their messages, putting ads on specific billboards or using particular mailing lists that match likely consumers.
But thanks to the explosion of single-subject magazines, cable channels, and Web sites, advertisers today can reach almost any target they choose. And by zeroing in on individual groups, advertisers also can lift their brands above the clutter of the mass market. "Corporations that didn't even pay lip service to niche marketing are all of a sudden interested," says Dolores Kunda, president of L‡piz, a division of ad agency Leo Burnett Co. set up to cater to Hispanics.
BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE. Yet despite the promise of niche marketing, there's an unanswered question for United: Will its gay-audience ads and tie-ins and more welcoming personnel policy help fill the airline's seats? Not necessarily. Though the airline has promised to stick with its new employee-benefits package no matter what, United and Pat Robertson's American Center for Law & Justice are still trying to get San Francisco's workplace ordinance tossed out in appeals court. If the law is overturned, United could be right back on the gay community's blacklist. By being so public in wooing gays, the carrier also risks a backlash from the religious right, though United has been able to brush off earlier objections from Christian fundamentalists without consequence.
To sense the conflict United feels, consider the events of May 18. Bowing to heat from gay organizations, United declared it would no longer accept ads in its in-flight magazine for radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who has made disparaging remarks about gays. Meanwhile, at UAL's annual meeting, Chairman and CEO James E. Goodwin was scolded by shareholder Mac Gregory for giving benefits to homosexual couples and "insulting" married fliers.
United faces one other problem: Many of the estimated 10 million to 16 million gay and lesbian adults in the U.S. already are spoken for by American Airlines, which was the first airline to court them in a coordinated way. "It's a wonderful compliment that another airline is trying to match what we're doing," sniffs Rick Cirillo, who heads a four-person staff at American assigned full-time to gay and lesbian marketing and sales. Noting that American parent AMR Corp. rolled out benefits to same-sex partners of employees a full month before United, Cirillo warns that his airline won't cede any advantage without a battle. "This is my baby," he declares.
RAINBOW POWER. Still, United is smart to give American a run for its money. Gay men and women have more buying power than any other minority group except African Americans, according to a widely cited analysis by M.V. Lee Badgett, an economist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and acting executive director of the Institute for Gay & Lesbian Strategic Studies. And because they have fewer children, gays generally can afford to spend more on luxuries, such as leisure travel.
Indeed, travel expenditure by gays is put at $17 billion a year, or nearly as much as United takes in annually in worldwide revenue. American Airlines attributes $193.5 million of its 1999 sales to the gay community alone, based on bookings by travel-agent members of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Assn. While that represents only 1% of American's revenue last year, the sum is up almost tenfold from $20 million in 1994, when Cirillo formed American's so-called Rainbow Team.
Moreover, while United was busy with damage control in San Francisco, other airlines were discovering the gay market. Stealing a selling point from both United and American, almost every major carrier now bars discrimination because of sexual orientation. Like United and American, Northwest Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and US Airways also have announced plans to offer benefits to domestic partners of employees. US Airways is copying American further by putting together a marketing team catering specifically to gays.
PEACE DIVIDENDS. Even Delta Air Lines -- considered one of the industry's most old-fashioned members, given its Southern heritage -- offers discounts to gay groups traveling to conventions. "The thing that's so exciting about gay events today is that they're seen as an opportunity for business," says Dianne Hardy Garcia, executive director of the Millennium March. "We're seen as the assets we are."
Though beaten to the gay market by American, United is ranked as one of the leading spenders on marketing to gays and lesbians. United's effort began in 1998, when it pulled together 20 employees from across the company and formed a steering committee at its suburban Chicago headquarters to oversee sales to four minority groups: African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and gays. Even before formalizing its niche-market efforts, United was giving tickets to organizers of San Francisco's biggest AIDS fund-raiser for their annual auction and was the first airline to advertise in The Advocate, a magazine with a gay focus. In another first, United sponsored a Webcast by President Clinton on PlanetOut.com in 1997.
Today, as United distributes new benefit forms to employees, the company is hoping to reap peace dividends. Mario Baldessari, United's co-director of gay and lesbian marketing, won't say how much the airline is spending on gay promotions and alternative media. But by itself, PlanetOut.com is getting nearly $1 million this year in United advertising, says Megan Smith, chief executive of PlanetOut Corp.
And her company is just one recipient. United plans to begin a new ad campaign in gay print media in June, and Baldessari says he is negotiating sponsorships with more than three dozen gay organizations. Among them: the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, which plans to announce in June that it will perform under United's corporate patronage again. Given their rocky history, that's really singing the airline's praises.
By Michael Arndt in Chicago
EDITED BY BETH BELTON
(GEICO) Insurance Co. Pulls Dr. Laura Ads
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20000707/aponline172527_000.htm
Saturday, July 8, 2000 Insurance Co. Pulls Dr. Laura Ads
The Associated Press
Friday, July 7, 2000; 5:25 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON –– Auto insurer GEICO has decided to stop running its ads on Dr. Laura Schlessinger's radio program, the latest corporate fallout from the talk show host's much-publicized comments on gays.
The company, a major provider and direct marketer of auto insurance, said in a statement it has received a great deal of feedback – mostly negative – about its advertising on the program. Much of that negative response has come from those in the gay and lesbian community, who said they found the remarks made by the talk show host "to be highly offensive and prejudicial," the company said.
An assistant to Schlessinger declined to comment and a spokeswoman for her show could not be reached immediately.
Schlessinger has angered gay-rights groups with her comments that homosexuality is "deviant" and a "biological error." Earlier this year,
Procter & Gamble pulled its ads both from the current Dr. Laura radio talk show and her upcoming television talk show this fall.
Gay rights activists have campaigned to try to stop television stations from broadcasting Schlessinger's "Dr. Laura" talk show, which is scheduled to debut in September.
A spokesman for GEICO declined to say whether the company had intended to advertise on the upcoming TV show. But the radio ads were pulled after audiences expressed concern, the company said.
"We do monitor the results of these advertising efforts closely, and we take seriously the feedback we receive from our policyholders and the listening and viewing public," GEICO said. The company "does not condone discrimination of any type directed toward any minority."
Schlessinger's show airs on 500 stations in the United States and
Canada. It attracts some 20 million listeners.
If you need insurance call then go here to get a quote
http://www1.progressive.com/
Quotes from the Sellouts to the Homosexual Pressure Groups
Motel 6 "In a format such as that which Dr. Laura uses, numerous topics loaded with great emotion may be handled in the course of a day. We have no way to predict what tomorrow's dialogue will include. We are looking very closely into whether this type of talk-show programming makes sense for us and we are doing no further advertising on Dr. Laura this year." RadioShack "RadioShack strictly adheres to a policy NOT to advertise on programs that might be politically or socially controversial or that promote any one individual's agenda or point of view. In the case of recent ads aired on the Dr. Laura Show, these ads were placed inadvertently by a third party media buying organization. RadioShack took action to pull ALL ads from the Dr. Laura Show as soon as this placement error was brought to our attention."
- Procter & Gamble "While she has every right to assert her views on all subjects in the context of her show, we have an equal right as an advertiser to place our commercials in less polarizing environments.... there are lots of programming options and we've decided there are better ones for us"
- Priceline.com "We have discontinued our advertising on the program."
- Natrol "The current environment surrounding this program does not suit the personality of our company and what we wish to accomplish as a responsible corporate citizen."
- Red Lobster "Red Lobster does not endorse Dr. Laura's remarks regarding the gay and lesbian community and ceased specifically purchasing advertising on her program in May."
- Gateway "For some time Gateway has followed a policy of not advertising in media whose editorial content is discriminatory... in this case, a media buy was made that was clearly inconsistent with that policy."
- EchoStar/DISH Network "As an equal opportunity employer, EchoStar's corporate culture does not reflect or support Dr. Laura's views. EchoStar supports the right of free speech guaranteed under the First Amendment but we also assert our right to choose where to place our advertising dollars."
- Ohio State Lottery "The Dr. Laura show is a red flag program on WKRC that we do not advertise on."
- Sears "Sears supports both diversity and culture throughout our customer base and within our own associate networks. We will no longer advertise on the Dr. Laura show as a result of recent comments."
- SkyTel "SkyTel is no longer advertising on talk radio."
- Geico Insurance "We have decided we will not continue our advertising on the 'Dr. Laura' radio program effective July 1. GEICO is an equal opportunity employer and does not condone discrimination of any type directed toward any minority."
- Xerox Laura ads no longer running. "As the new president of Xerox recently said, 'I've spent most of my career at a company where diversity is viewed as a moral imperative and a competitive advantage.'" - Xerox email to customers.
- ToysRUs.com: "You will be glad to know, the advertisement is no longer running."
- More.com "All of us here are just as outraged to be advertising in the midst of such bigotry. I assure you, that by no means do we share Dr. Schlessinger's views. In fact, we have pulled out all advertisements from running with her show again."
- BoxLot: "We're going to be more intelligent about selectively excluding hateful and bigoted people like her from our advertising mix."
United Airlines (banned Laura from advertising),
AT&T,
American Express,
Kroger,
Amica Insurance,
TCF Bank.
9/15: George Foreman Grill (Salton)
"I've instructed the agency currently buying our short form time that in the future, stipulations should be madeto the stations to exclude the Dr. Laura program from our rotations."
9/15: Eckerd
"The advertising for the Eckerd HealthCare Discount Plan was placed in a 'stand-by' position which means that the networks aired the spot in any programming at their sole discretion, not at the direction of Eckerd Corporation or its advertising agency. We have notified all networks not to air Eckerd commercials during the 'Dr. Laura' show in the future."
9/15: CB Fleet
"There is no advertising planned in the next few days and as mentioned earlier, future advertising will be directed to other programming."
9/15: Texaco
"It is not our policy to purchase advertising time on controversial shows, such as the Dr. Laura Show. Our spot was placed on the show in a decision made solely by the television station as they overlooked our policy. That has been corrected and we are taking steps to ensure that this does not happen again."
9/14: Sears
"We have not authorized a media buy on Dr. Laura's TV show. If something has appeared this week, it was quite by accident and will be pulled as soon as possible. We will not be running any ads in her show in the future." Sears Spokesperson.
9/14: Unilever
"The commercial was run by our syndicator in a "make-good" effort and done without permission. Unilever did not ask or intend for our placements to be during this show." - Mr. Gould, Dir. of Corp. Comm.
9/14: America's Best Contact Lens & Eyeglasses
"[Schlessinger's television program is] inconsistent with our company's advertising guidelines."
9/14: Kaiser Permanente"Kaiser Permanente adamantly opposes Dr. Laura Schlesinger's views on homosexuality," said KP media representative Lea Rubio. "Any further airing of KP ads on Schlesinger's show have been cancelled, effective Tuesday,
9/13: Brentwood Volvo
"This is in response to the great deal of complaints that we have received in the last few days. Please let all your supporters know that the ad was run by mistake and that Brentwood Volvo Ltd. does not necessarily embrace the views of Dr. Laura. Also note that the ad has been pulled from that time slot and will resume running in the time frame in which we intended. We apologize for any misunderstandings."
9/13: Luxor Las Vegas
"Our television schedules were placed by a media company on our behalf through
our advertising agency. They were bought as part of a broad rotating schedule where only day parts are specified. We had no prior knowledge that our spot would air specifically during the Dr. Laura Show. As soon as we learned of this placement, our agency immediately issued an order to stop our ads from running in that particular show in the future. Let me further emphasize our earlier discussion that Luxor Las Vegas does not condone in any way disrimination on any basis."
9/13: Stonestreet Capital
"We were not aware of the controversy with this particular show. We have informed our media buying agency to stop all advertising on the Dr. Laura program. After this week, no further ads will appear." - Frank Lowry, Stonestreet Capital
9/13: Conair
Conair VP Frank Lindsey: "Conair effective this Friday, Sept 15 has pulled all advertising on the Dr. Laura Schlessinger show from this time forward."
9/13: GEICO
pulls Laura ads, again"Our media placement specialist has
contacted Paramount twice and we remain emphatic that the GEICO spots should not be running during her national show. We didn't ask for the spots, we wouldn't pay for the spots."
9/13: Brink's
9/12: IHOP
"Which shows IHOP advertising appears in is at the choice of the television stations, unless we make a specific request to avoid a show. We have told the stations to avoid this show because IHOP chooses not to advertise on shows that generate controversy."
9/12: Jacoby & Meyers (LA)
"Jacoby & Meyers VP Mindy Gandin said she asked her buyer to ensure that the company's ads do not air during future episodes of 'Dr. Laura.' 'My daughter is gay, and I'm just as upset as anyone that our ads ran during 'Dr. Laura,' 'Gandin said." - Variety.
9/12: Closet World (LA)
9/12: Int'l House of Pancakes
9/12: Kimberly-Clark/Scott TP
(NY) "Kimberly-Clark Corporation did not purchase advertising time during the 'Dr. Laura' television program. The commercial was run in error and we have asked the network not to air our commercial during the program again. We have no plans to purchase advertising time during 'Dr. Laura.'"
9/12: Starpower Internet
(Baltimore)"We apologize for the presumption that StarPower is affiliated in any way to Dr. Laura Schlessinger. We have been listed in error as an advertiser to that program. It is a mistake that is being addressed immediately by management."
9/12: Long John Silver's (Dallas)
"Long John Silver's has not sponsored or purchased commercials in the Dr. Laura program in any market. This program was identified by our company in planning as a show to avoid due to it's controversial topics. We have taken recent actions with stations that have rotated Long John Silver's commercials in this program without authorization to make clear our position."
9/12: Verizon
"Apparently some local stations recently ran Verizon ads within or adjacent to the program. However, this was done without our authorization and violates our agreement with the stations. Since we did not authorize them, we will not pay for any ads that ran in Dr. Laura's program, and stations that violate our agreement lose future advertising revenue for the product involved."
9/12: John Corzine for Senate (NJ)
"Schlessinger's views are completely inconsistent with Jon's core beliefs -- he finds them divisive and repugnant," says Corzine spokesman Tom Shea, according to the NY Post.
9/12: Rubenstein & Rynecki
"We don't feel it's appropriate for a law firm [Rubenstein & Rynecki] to advertise on a show that's controversial -- and we've received phone calls criticizing us for advertising."
9/11: Bally Total Fitness
"Bally Total Fitness' advertising aired on the program in question as a part of a station-wide, non program-specific media buy. We have no intention to advertise on this program in the future."
LAURA'S RADIO ADVERTISERS
Who's Dumped Laura to Date:
- Procter & Gamble (TV & Radio)
"While she has every right to assert her views on all subjects in the context of her show, we have an equal right as an advertiser to place our commercials in less polarizing environments.... there are lots of programming options and we've decided there are better ones for us"
- Albertsons
"Albertson's is committed to embracing diversity in its many forms... Once we learned that we were inadvertently advertising on the Dr. Laura Show, we directed the media buying service to pull our advertising from this program."
- RadioShack
"RadioShack took action to pull ALL ads from the Dr. Laura Show as soon as this placement error was brought to our attention."
- Motel 6
"We are looking very closely into whether this type of talk-show programming makes sense for us and we are doing no further advertising on Dr. Laura this year."
- Priceline.com
"We have discontinued our advertising on the program."
- Natrol
"The current environment surrounding this program does not suit the personality of our company and what we wish to accomplish as a responsible corporate citizen."
- Red Lobster
"Red Lobster does not endorse Dr. Laura's remarks regarding the gay and lesbian community and ceased specifically purchasing advertising on her program in May."
- Gateway
"For some time Gateway has followed a policy of not advertising in media whose editorial content is discriminatory... in this case, a media buy was made that was clearly inconsistent with that policy."
- EchoStar/DISH Network
"As an equal opportunity employer, EchoStar's corporate culture does not reflect or support Dr. Laura's views. EchoStar supports the right of free speech guaranteed under the First Amendment but we also assert our right to choose where to place our advertising dollars."
- Ohio State Lottery
"The Dr. Laura show is a red flag program on WKRC that we do not advertise on."
- Sears
"Sears supports both diversity and culture throughout our customer base and within our own associate networks. We will no longer advertise on the Dr. Laura show as a result of recent comments."
- SkyTel
"SkyTel is no longer advertising on talk radio."
- Geico Insurance
"We have decided we will not continue our advertising on the 'Dr. Laura' radio program effective July 1. GEICO is an equal opportunity employer and does not condone discrimination of any type directed toward any minority."
- Xerox
Laura ads no longer running. "As the new president of Xerox recently said, 'I've spent most of my career at a company where diversity is viewed as a moral imperative and a competitive advantage.'" - Xerox email to customers.
- ToysRUs.com:
"You will be glad to know, the advertisement is no longer running."
- More.com:
"All of us here are just as outraged to be advertising in the midst of such bigotry. I assure you, that by no means do we share Dr. Schlessinger's views. In fact, we have pulled out all advertisements from running with her show again."
- BoxLot:
"We're going to be more intelligent about selectively excluding hateful and bigoted people like her from our advertising mix."
- United Airlines
(banned Laura from advertising), AT&T, American Express, Kraft, Kroger, Amica Insurance, TCF Bank. AD AGE ON LAURA ADVERTISING"Other advertisers should pay attention to P&G's words: there are indeed 'better' program options." - Advertising Age editorial about Dr. Laura, 5/29/00.
LEVI STRAUSS RESPONSE TO BOYCOTTING THE BOY SCOUTS
Here's a copy of the response I received to my e-mail to Levi Strauss:
Dear XXXX:
Thank you for contacting us regarding the charitable contribution policy of Levi Strauss & Co. and the Levi Strauss Foundation. Customer feedback is very important to us and we appreciate your taking the time to express your opinions about this issue.
LS&CO. has an established commitment to nondiscrimination policies and practices based on the Company's core values and respect for individual freedoms. In accordance with this philosophy, our Foundation provides support to organizations which do not discriminate on the basis of age, political affiliation, race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.
The Boy Scouts of America has confirmed that their membership criteria is in conflict with our grant making policies of nondiscrimination on the basis of religious belief and sexual orientation. Accordingly, LS&CO. and the Foundation can no longer fund the Boy Scouts of America.
We recognize the valuable contributions Boy Scout programs have made to millions of young men. It is not our intention or goal to be punitive or to force the Boy Scouts -- or any other organization -- to change its policies to comply with our funding guidelines. LS&CO. employees are welcome to volunteer their personal time and resources to any organization they choose, including the Boy Scouts of America.
We value your comments and feedback and will be passing them on to senior management for their review and information.
Sincerely,
Lorena
Levi Strauss & Co.
lorsis1853200
