Concerned Women for America Has the Memory Span of a Gnat (Or They’re Hoping You Do)
Left to right: Penny Young Nance, Beverly LaHaye, and Matt Barber. If you have trouble remembering who’s who: The most hysterical one with the worst hair runs around like a demented little girl, ranting constantly that gays are satanic purveyors of evil, while the other two are Penny Young Nance and Beverly LaHaye.“Concerned” “Women” of “America,” that tired old band of fussbudgets (currently headed by Santorum-loving Penny Young Nance, founded by hair-don’t poster child and Mrs. Left Behind, Beverly LaHaye, and spoken for by the description-defying Matt Barber) who can’t stand the thought of gay people being treated as equal human beings (let alone as actual humans), insist that women have no right to control their own bodies even after they’ve been raped, and who are desperately afraid that someone, somewhere, might be having a good time playing “The Sims” (and by golly, they’re going to put a stop to that, you betcha!), threw its support behind the equally gay-loathing Chick-fil-A (which, incidentally, has been boycotted by the LGBT community for years, not because of Dan Cathy’s recent bigoted remarks nor his peculiar brand of Christianity, but because Cathy’s bigoted remarks finally made non-gay folks [and a lot of LGBT stragglers who weren't paying attention] finally sit up and take notice of the company’s long history of anti-gay activism; here is just one of the latest summaries).
The following appeared on the CFA website recently; ignore the silliness about “retaliation” (CWA has a nasty habit of claiming nefarious, and completely false, motives for actions of their perceived enemies) and notice instead the claim about boycotts:
… Now Amazon.com Founder and President Jeff Bezos is wading into the moral morass by offering 2.5 million investor dollars (unlike Amazon.com, Chick-fil-A is privately owned) to same-sex “marriage” advocates in Washington state in retaliation for the Cathy’s [sic] religious stance. (We’re also taking it personally, as Maureen Richardson, State Director for CWA of Washington, has fought like a lioness against the efforts of liberal legislators to redefine marriage.)Concerned Women for America (CWA) is supporting the Chick-fil-A Day of Appreciation on August 1, 2012, in defense of a Christian family that is being absolutely excoriated by the mainstream media, public officials, private companies, and irate liberals for honoring their faith.
While CWA does not participate in boycotts, we understand that the brazen, politically correct move of Amazon.com’s founder and president may trouble some of our members and supporters. …
— Ken Ervin
“Kindle the Fires of a New Revolution”
Concerned Women for America, July 21, 2012
Hmmm? “CWA does not participate in boycotts”? Srsly? Let’s see…
Any company involved with RU-486 (which is not an “abortion pill” but emergency contraception, which prevents a fertilized egg from implanting itself inside the uterus, before pregnancy begins):
The nation’s largest pro-family women’s organization is standing in support of a boycott against the U.S. subsidiaries of Hoechst AG & Roussel Uclaf, developer and manufacturer of the abortion pill RU-486. …— “Boycott of New Drug ‘Allegra’ Aimed at Protecting
Women & Children From Dangers of RU-486”
Concerned Women for America, April 2, 1997
Is there a concerted effort by the anti-gay Right to rewrite its long history of boycotts? Looks like it…
On the very day CWA made the false statement, “CWA does not participate in boycotts,” Right Wing Watch posted the following; notice the exact same talking points are used in the CWA statement:
“Yesterday during In The Market, Dan Gainor of the right-wing Media Research Center and host Janet Parshall are the latest conservative activists to deny their movement’s history of supporting boycotts in order to attack gay rights groups protesting Chick-fil-A, agreeing that ‘conservatives generally are against boycotts’ while freedom-hating liberals just can’t help themselves:
Parshall: … Paradoxically, in the midst of this brouhaha with Chick-fil-A comes the announcement that Amazon.com CEO and his wife give $2.5 million to Washington state for the same-sex marriage battle going on there. I tell you what, I get an awful lot of press releases all day long and I’m still waiting, I have yet to hear a Christian group that’s saying we’re going to boycott Amazon.com because their founder and CEO has decided to make a multimillion dollar contribution to battle against something that I happen to hold dear and believe in. So this tactic, unfortunately, seems to be one sided, one the one hand I guess I can understand it, and on the other hand, it’s just not the way Christians behave in the marketplace.Gainor: Conservatives generally are against boycotts….
“Huh, that’s odd since the National Organization for Marriage is boycotting Starbucks and General Mills, and the American Family Association and the Catholic League are boycotting countless companies. In fact, the AFA’s One Million Moms has said ‘so long Amazon.’ …”
More (with audio): “Parshall and Gainor Seem to Believe Conservatives Don’t Like Boycotts”
The Walt Disney Company and all its subsidiaries, 1995-2005 (CWA, 1997-2005):
In a press conference today, Concerned Women for America announced a boycott against the Walt Disney Company after a meeting with Disney representatives failed to satisfy the demands of pro-family groups who had been called together to meet with the Disney executives.“Concerned Women for America does not do boycotts,” said Jim Woodall, CWA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Unfortunately, because Disney has refused to address our concerns regarding their anti-family agenda, we feel we must call this boycott.” …
— “CWA Boycotts the ‘Tragic Kingdom’”
Concerned Women for America, July 23, 1997
The American Family Association … began its Disney boycott in 1995, citing a decline in moral and family values at the entertainment conglomerate from the days of founder Walt Disney. The boycott has since been joined by the Southern Baptist Convention (in 1997), Focus on the Family, the Assemblies of God, Concerned Women for America, and other religious groups.
— Art Toalson
“The Disney Boycott: A Slow but Certain Influence”
SBC Life, Southern Baptist Convention, June, 1999
Not satisfied with with a blanket Disney boycott, CWA went after specific Disney output, as you’ll see below.
The Little Mermaid, 1997:
Now Concerned Women for America wants to boycott the king of cartoons for sexist depictions of female characters.They’re most offended, it seems, by Ariel — “The Little Mermaid” — who only wanted to be human.
“Ariel, what is she wearing? She’s wearing two tiny, little seashells,” said Paula Govers, speaking for the women’s group. “What are they telling our little girls?” …
What did they expect her to wear, a jogging bra? A sensible one-piece swimsuit with a flounce? Hard to do when your bottom half is a fish.
— Kathleen Parker
“Disney Boycotts Are A Fishy Situation”
Orlando Sentinel, July 30, 1997
Kiki’s Delivery Service, 1998 (a harmless Japanese animated famtasy about a little witch girl):
The conservative Christian group Concerned Women for America boycotted Kiki’s Delivery Service screenings and released a press release on May 28, 1998 titled “Disney Reverts to Witchcraft in Japanese Animation”. Calling for a boycott of The Disney Company, the group said the company “is still not family friendly, but continues to have a darker agenda”.
“South Park,” 1998 (created in 1992, debuted on TV in 1997, and, as of 2012, still going strong):
Recently, Christian Family Network began a campaign to oppose the offensive television show. They offer an information packet that includes a list of advertisers with their addresses and telephone numbers. It also includes a community petition to be used to persuade local cable providers to withdraw the show from their line-up. …As a result of one man’s complaints, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club have corporately pulled all South Park videos. Furthering the popularity of the show, many retailers offer South Park merchandise, such as t-shirts and bumper stickers, in their stores.
Write your representatives, urging them to return to a common code of conduct for the entertainment industry. Then, write or call Comedy Central. Tell them you object to the content on South Park. Call Wal-Mart’s corporate office and thank them for withdrawing support for South Park… Target other retailers who offer South Park merchandise; encourage them to remove the merchandise from their stores. And finally, if you are a parent, make sure you monitor your children’s TV viewing.
— “Strong Start for Campaign to End South Park”
Concerned Women for America, July 9, 1998
Dogma, 1999:
While the Disney corporation is no longer involved in the production of “Dogma” — a smart move by Eisner in light of the continuing pro-family boycott — the owners of the Disney subsidiary Miramax are still directly involved. …— “‘Dogma’ Defames Doctrine”
Concerned Women for America, April 16, 1999
Abercrombie & Fitch, 2001:
“The resolution not only calls for a boycott but urges shareholders of Abercrombie & Fitch to take a stand against such marketing practices,” said Karen Hayes, State Director of Concerned Women for America of Illinois. …How You Can Help
Pray for the Holy Spirit to motivate Christians in all walks of life to take action against Abercrombie & Fitch.
Praise God for those efforts already underway.
Act Sign a petition against A&F’s marketing and join the boycott sponsored by the American Decency Association
— Martha Kleder
“Abercrombie & Fitch Sells More Sex Than Clothes”
Family Voice, September/October 2001, via Concerned Women for America
[T]he Heritage Foundation, under [Paul] Weyrich’s guidance created a project to gather intelligence on progressive non-profits and the sources of their support. Later spun off as the Capital Research Center, this organization continues to publish articles on corporate philanthropy that have been used by conservative groups such as Beverly LaHaye’s Concerned Women for America and Phylis [sic] Schlafly’s Eagle Forum to identify corporations that support pro-choice advocates — corporations that have been subsequently singled out by these groups as the prime targets of boycotts and letter-writing campaigns to stockholders.— Margaret C. Ayers, President
Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
“Defunding the Left, Freedom of Expression and Today’s Political Context”
Paper Presented Upon Receiving
The Advocacy Institute’s 1992
Advocacy Support Award, May 19, 1992
Numerous companies, 2003 – present:
… With an annual budget of approximately $110,000, Douglas R. Scott, Life Decisions’ president, and his staff of three, research and publish “The Boycott List” of companies — usually about 50 or 60 in number — that donate to Planned Parenthood. Approximately 10,000 copies of the $15.75 list are distributed twice a year, including to 33 anti-abortion organizations that endorse it, ranging from Human Life International to Concerned Women for America, Christian Coalition, Family Research Council, American Family Association and Traditional Values Coalition. …According to a March press release, current boycott targets include Adobe Systems, Bank of America, Johnson and Johnson, Kenneth Cole, Levi Strauss, Nationwide Insurance, Prudential, Unilever, Wachovia, Whole Foods and Walt Disney. Walt Disney is listed because its theme park gave a donation to Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando to prevent teen pregnancy, according to a Life Decisions newsletter. …
— Cynthia L. Cooper
“Family Planners Stand Up To Right-Wing Boycott”
AlterNet, July 18, 2005
The Da Vinci Code, 2006:
The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President of Human Life International (HLI), joined Dr. Ted Baehr of Movieguide.org, Don Feder, Austin Ruse of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society, and Bob Knight of Concerned Women for America as part of The Interfaith Coalition Against ‘The Da Vinci Code.’” …— “Religious Leaders Call for Boycott
of Sony’s ‘Da Vinci Code the Movie’”
Human Life International, May 17, 2006
Euteneuer, Euteneuer… Golly, that name sounds familiar… Oh, yes! We remember now:
“Anti-Gay, Anti-Abortion Extremist & Exorcist Thomas Euteneuer Admits to ‘Sexual Indiscretion’ (…Wait for It…) During Exorcism,” Conservative Babylon, February 15, 2011
See also: Black Collar Crime Round-Up, Conservative Babylon, June 27, 2012
Miller Brewing Company, 2011:
…CWA and the Catholic League are organizing more than 200 Christian groups to boycott Miller Brewing Company, a major sponsor of the [Folsom Street Fair]. …— Heather Cassell
“Right-wing groups continue attacks on Folsom Street Fair”
Bay Area Reporter, October 4, 2007
Note that the Folsom Street Fair is not a LGBT event, but a leather-and-fetish event, where public displays of kink — which we have never seen in our 35 years of attending LGBT pride events — are performed by mostly straight attendees. But try telling that to Folsom-obsessed Porno Pete LaBarbera.
Oh, and the Catholic League? Quelle surprise… not.
Hounddog, 2008 (which does depict child rape — yes, we have seen the movie, all of it — but in no way depicts “child pornography,” per CWA’s repeated claims; and, yes, the scene is indeed integral to the film):
Concerned Women for America (CWA) of North Carolina is calling all citizens to take action to stop the distribution of Hounddog, a film depicting child rape. …— Leslie Smith
“Child Pornography is Going Mainstream:
What you can do to stop this from happening in your community”
Concerned Women for America, September 12, 2008
We are compelled to ask why CWA didn’t take on another mainstream (if extremely low-budget, yet widely dsitributed and highly profitable) film, which really does contain child pornography, right in its opening scene: Mario Van Peebles’s blaxploitation cult piece, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971)? Maybe CWA is unaware of its existence; we have a sneaking suspicion the average CWAer doesn’t spend much time watching landmark cinematic phenomena, particularly the sort with an all-African-American cast.
(Yes, we’ve seen Sweet Sweetback, too. Hated it. Had no idea what was coming. Wouldn’t recommend it. But at least we can say we hated it after having actually seen it, which most right-wingers can’t when it comes to protesting movies they’re told are offensive, such as The Last Temptation of Christ — which is quite good, with an interesting, imaginative plot, and blessedly free of all that torture porn in Good Friday the Thirteenth… er, The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre… uh, we mean The Passion of the Christ. But then, it’s sex — with gay sex being much worse than straight sex, of course — that gets the righties off their La-Z-Boys and out into the streets, while violence seldom causes them to blink… unless it causes them to cheer.)
Day of Silence, annually since 1997 (the yearly “student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools,” begun in 1996, in which students take a day-long vow of silence — which, for reasons we will never fathom, right-wing groups perceive as an “attack”… on them):
A nationwide coalition of Christian and pro-family groups is calling for parents to keep children out of schools that are participating in the 12th annual, pro-homosexual National Day of Silence (DOS) Friday, April 25, 2008. …The coalition includes Abiding Truth Ministries, American Family Association, AFA of Michigan, AFA of Pennsylvania, Americans for Truth, Concerned Women for America, Exodus Mandate, Illinois Family Institute, Indiana Voice for the Family, Liberty Counsel, Mass Resistance, Mission America, Parents’ Rights Coalition, Stephen Bennett Ministries and Watchmen on the Walls.
— “Coalition urging boycott of ‘Day of Silence’”
OneNewsNow.com, American Family Association, 2008
CPAC, 2011:
The American Conservative Union’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), one of the largest gatherings of right wing activists and a platform for Republican presidential candidates, continues to lose participants as a result of GOProud’s sponsorship of the event. GOProud is a conservative organization that supports gay rights that broke off from the Log Cabin Republicans for allegedly moving “way too far to the left.”In November, the far-right American Principles Project instigated the CPAC boycott over GOProud’s involvement back in November, and groups such as American Values, Capital Research Center, the Center for Military Readiness, Liberty Counsel, Liberty University, and the National Organization for Marriage followed the APP’s lead in boycotting the conference.
Today, WorldNetDaily, which has provided support for the boycott movement, reports that the Family Research Council and Concerned Women For America have decided to boycott CPAC. FRC and CWA are easily the largest groups to join the boycott movement, and FRC hosts a similar conference that is geared to Religious Right activists, the Values Voter Summit. WorldNetDaily reports on their decision and the ensuing praise from anti-gay rights activists Peter LaBarbera and Mat Staver…
— Brian Tashman
“Family Research Council and Concerned Women For America
pull out of CPAC, Religious Right Boycott Gains Momentum”
Right Wing Watch, December 28, 2010
Incensed over the participation of the conservative gay-rights group GOProud in the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, far-right activists are now trying to connect the major conservative event to the Muslim Brotherhood. The American Conservative Union (ACU), which hosts CPAC, has been the target of Religious Right groups and leaders over their handling of GOProud’s involvement, with Joseph Farah even calling for conservatives to “purge” the ACU from the movement. Already, the Family Research Council, Concerned Women For America, American Values, the American Principles Project, the Capital Research Center, the Center for Military Readiness, Liberty Counsel, Liberty University, and the National Organization for Marriage have announced their boycott of CPAC.
— Brian Tashman
“Right Wing Boycott Movement Links CPAC to the Muslim Brotherhood”
Right Wing Watch, January 5, 2011
Pepsi, 2011 (which hysterics on the Right claimed was using stem cells from aborted fetuses to produce flavor enhancers for human consumption — a ridiculous falsehood, of course, which Pepsi wisely ignored):
Pro-life groups joining Children of God for Life in the boycott to date are: Life Issues Institute, American Life League, Concerned Women for America, Colorado Right to Life, American Right to Life, Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute, ALL Arizona, Central Nebraskans for Life, Pro-Life Waco, Houston Coalition for Life, Mother and Unborn Baby Fox Valley, Womankind, Billboards for Life, Movement for a Better America, Defenders of the Unborn, Focus Pregnancy Help Center, Idaho Chooses Life, EMC Frontline Pregnancy Centers of NY, Four Seasons for Life, CREDO, Life Choices, STOPP Dallas, CA Right To Life, Human Life Alliance, International Right to Life Federation, Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation.— “Pro-Life Groups Call for Pepsi Boycott Over Aborted Fetal Cell Lines”
Children of God for Life, May 25, 2011
Macy’s, 2011:
… Cindy Asmussen of Concerned Women for America’s Central Texas chapter pleaded with the organization’s members to boycott Macy’s over the company’s LGBT rights policy and to protest the Obama administration’s directive to combat discrimination against the LGBT community abroad. …— Brian Tashman
“Concerned Women for America Claims LGBT Rights Initiative Promotes ‘Destructiveness’”
Right Wing Watch, December 15, 2011
Yet, when it serves CWA’s agenda, they won’t hesitate to pen a long treatise on the time-honored American tradition of boycotts, beginning with the Boston Tea Party.
First, CWA posted a long list of nearly everything about the Walt Disney Company that offends their tender sensibilities — Orlando Gay Days (which “place the stamp of approval on the homosexual lifestyle and promote acceptance of this behavior”); the movie Priest (for “promoting homosexuality and attacking the Catholic Church”); the animated Pocahontas (“Disney censored the historical fact that the heroine in the story converted from paganism to Christianity. Instead, the film glorified pagan earth-worship”); Hyperion Press (for the publication of A Separate Creation: The Search for the Biological Origins of Sexual Orientation); ABC’s “Relativity” (for showing a kiss between two women); The Crow (they don’t like rock stars rising from the dead); Danzig (for “satanic” music — which nobody is forcing them to listen to); the movie The English Patient (“which glorified the life of a known Nazi sympathizer and collaborator” — uh, did they see the same movie we did?); and other idiocy, including one claim that really takes the cake: “Disney has allowed the homosexual organizers [of Gay Days] to portray Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck as homosexual lovers; and Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck as lesbians.”)
Then, CWA continued:
In response to these actions, CWA, along with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), various other family groups and denominations, are boycotting Disney. …What We Can Learn From the Historians and Other Boycotts
We have only to go back to the founding of our nation and revisit the Boston Tea Party to see that standing on principle yields freedoms that everyone can enjoy.
As Cal Thomas, in one of his op-eds on the subject of the Disney boycott, wrote, “No one thought the young man standing in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square eight summers ago would be successful in deterring the Chinese army from firing its appointed rounds, but that image spoke to a world gone mushy about the power of one.”
He also recounted the story of William Wilberforce’s moral stand against slavery. Wilberforce was hotly vilified for his stand, and yet, on his deathbed, word reached him that the English Parliament had finally outlawed slave trade. Here was a man who stood firm in his moral convictions and eventually saw a change in public policy. Another example a of a boycott toppling an immoral system after many years is South Africa. …
Funny how CWA, uh, forgot to mention the brave, heroic African-American boycott of Montgomery buses, led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., following Rosa Parks‘s gutsy refusal to give up her seat near the front of the bus. Maybe CWA didn’t think something like that would resonate with their overwhelmingly pasty-white, big-haired membership — or maybe Mrs. Parks is too great a role model for strong women; CWA hates anything that even remotely smacks of the dread feminism.
Why Family Groups Are BoycottingTo sum up the primary reason we should participate in a boycott, columnist Linda Bowles writes, “One of the greatest spiritual tragedies of our time is that a number of mainline churches have been seduced and corrupted by the spurious argument that to judge homosexuality is un-Christian.”19 This allegation weakens the argument that we should be standing on principle and on the moral underpinnings upon which this country was founded. Additionally, this shows that “homosexuals have refined the art of propaganda.”20 Ms. Bowles continues by stating, “Homosexuals have identified Christianity as the enemy. Religious values stand between them and what they want to do and be.”21 At one time, the homosexual community viewed Disney as an enemy, because of its commitment to family values and family programming. This can no longer be said.
CWA, along with the various other groups, have decided to take a stand. We can no longer be the “silent church.” It is clear that by not confronting the homosexual agenda, we implicitly endorse it. We are also willing to be a light in this dark world — despite the cost. …
— “The Tragic Kingdom’s Fall From Grace”
Concerned Women for America, October 15, 1997
Finally, CWA is not calling for a boycott of Starbucks in so many words — but it’s using every word it can think of except “boycott” to strongly suggest a boycott; e.g.:
…I’ve known for a while that the founders of Starbucks were left-of-center. But I convinced myself that, so long as they stayed out of public policy, I could remain a customer. Sadly, this is no longer the case.The drama began on Wednesday, at the annual Starbucks shareholders’ meeting. OneNewsNow.com reports that shareholder Tom Strohbar chastised the company for endorsing a same-sex “marriage” bill. Strohbar, who is also the founder of The Corporate Morality Action Center, reportedly told officials, “What concerns me is possible economic boycotts, shareholder resolutions, things that might affect the sales of our company, the earnings.” He continued, “Is it prudent to risk the economic interests of all the shareholders for something that might affect the private lives of a very small percentage of our employees?” …
Hint, hint.
Ponder the impact of lost business from loyal customers. In this economy, I was willing to spend more on a cup of coffee than a gallon of gas! Big Oil vs. Big Coffee; I’m not sure which would win. Coffee-loving, traditional values voters deserve more respect.I guess it’s time to bite the bullet and drink the overly strong office coffee.
— Chelsen Vicari
“Starbucks Disrespects Values Voters”
Concerned Women Blog, March 23, 2012
Hint, hint, h-i-n-t.
Not that the Starbucks (yes, we’re going to say it) brew-ha-ha, or CWA’s thinly-veiled threats, are anything new…
A national Christian women’s organization is accusing the Seattle-based coffee maker of promoting a homosexual agenda because of a quote by author Armistead Maupin, whose “Tales of the City” chronicled San Francisco’s homosexual community in the 1970s and 1980s.Maupin’s quote — one of several dozen in “The Way I See It” promotion — says his only regret about being gay is that he repressed it for so long.
“I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don’t make that mistake yourself. Life’s too damn short.”
Concerned Women for America, which promotes itself as the antithesis of the National Organization for Women and boasts 8,700 supporters in Washington, says most of those quoted on the coffee cups are liberal.
The group believes corporations have a responsibility to reflect the diversity of their customers by taking a balanced approach — or staying out of divisive social issues altogether.
And while the group is not calling for a boycott, its position nonetheless raises questions about what role — if any — corporations should take on potentially sensitive matters, especially at a time when the nation is divided, largely along religious lines, on issues such as gay rights.
“Corporations have deeper pockets and therefore more influence than individuals do,” said Maureen Richardson, state director of Concerned Women for America of Washington.
“I think it’s wiser for them to stay out of these issues so that they don’t offend conservatives and people of faith.”
To these companies, she says: “If you want my money, support some of my causes.”
— Lornet Turnbull
“Tempest brews over quotes on Starbucks cups”
Seattle Times, August 29, 2005
HINT.
Also worth reading: “Boycotts: A leftist tactic by gays, but a ‘Christian value’ when gays are the target,” Christian Burket, LGBTQ Nation, August 1, 2012
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