ACTION: BATH/BODY WORKS FALLS TO AFA DEMANDS

[kevinbgoode]

I have an idea for a little political fun, especially for those of you who might be near a phone tomorrow or would care to send an email. It's time to start running interference for companies that don't seem to have enough information or spine to stand up to the demands of organizations like the American "Family" Association. While I know some of us have issues with big corporations,( and with good reason), I think the current flood of threatened wingnut boycotts demanding their brand of religious correctness be institutionalized is enough to motivate some of us to take a little counter action. This could be fun.

According to a post on another blog, the AFA announced that the 1700+ chain Bath & BodyWorks has stopped carrying the popular little "I Can" bracelets offered by American Girl because some of the money is donated to Girls Inc. and this promotes abortion and lesbianism, among other things (at least according to the religiously correct AFA).

In their campaign, the AFA directed people to flood the Bath & BodyWorks lines threatening not to shop there unless these bracelets were pulled, and the company eventually caved. Like many companies, I suspect B/BW had little knowledge about the escapades of the AFA, or that they support the work of the Family Research Institute, which the Southern Law and Poverty Center listed as a hate group. I doubt they knew this organization (and its predecessor) has threatened/lobbied/boycotted hundreds of companies, advertisers, networks, production companies as harmful to our moral foundation as Roseanne, Three's Company, and the assumed gay-obsessive overtones in "Shark's Tail."

So, here's my idea - and this won't take more than a few minutes of your time. Call or email B/BW
(customer relations 800/395-1001 - I got this number from their cust.service people) and express your disappointment that the company fell for the orchestrated threats from a fringe religious organization which launches these attacks as a major part of their mission. Tell them that you believe that a business should be able to make choices in stock to serve all their customers, regardless of religious or non-religious belief, and that you feel that B/BW is endorsing a fundamentalist organization that media studies have shown doesn't reflect the values of mainstream America. Tell them that you understand how a company can be caught offguard, but that it is a good idea to ask callers if they are associated with an organization and then hold off other complaints until the company can do thorough research on the organization. And then tell them that your apprehension in shopping there now is that their stock must be approved by the AFA, and since you believe that every person has a right to worship or not according to their own conscience, you don't want to feel that restrictions in your buying choices should be an endorsement of the AFA's religious beliefs.
Then drop the real bomb - since the company made a choice to accede to the orchestrated threats of the AFA, respectfully ask that they place a sign prominently in the window of their stores explaining that B/BW has decided not to carry American Girl bracelets because the American Family Association has demanded they adhere to their religious and political beliefs. Tell them that you don't wish to ask this, but you feel the company now has an obligation to inform all their potential customers that they have been coerced by the AFA to make decisions affecting the choices of all their customers.
Then mention that you believe there are many, many people who want to know when this group has attacked a company because they believe it is an attack on their own religious and political beliefs, particularly their idea of freedom of choice, religion, and access to available products in the marketplace.

This American Girl bracelet is popular with young people, apparently. Tell them that you don't believe they should be forced to sever a relationship with a reputable business just because someone doesn't want to purchase the product. Apparently there are plenty of people who do, and they don't wish to have the AFA make decisions for them.

Here is the link to the AFA release:

http://www.afa.net/activism/Issu...tail.asp? id=179

You can find information about AFA's support for that research institute in Colorado at:

http://www.americablog.org

Here is a list of the many programs and companies who have felt the wrath of this group over the years: (this is only a listing up to 1992!):

http://www.mediacoalition.org/reports/wildmon.html

These companies are often caught offguard, have no information about this organization or the directions issued, don't necessarily know this can be orchestrated and are likely not happy at all that they were harassed.

Umm...well, what do you think?