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Written by WiG
Feb 3, 2012
JCPenney is reaffirming its decision to hire lesbian talk show host Ellen DeGeneres as a spokesperson for the department store.
The company stated on Feb. 3, that it “stands behind its partnership with Ellen DeGeneres.”
A program of the right-wing American Family Association this week called on JCPenney to either drop Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson or face a boycott.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, in turn, waged a campaign to defend the openly lesbian talk show host and comic, who once worked as a clerk at a JCPenney.
In a statement announcing the partnership, JCPenney president Michael Francis said, “We share the same fundamental values as Ellen. At JCPenney, we couldn't think of a better partner to help us put the fun back into the retail experience.”
The AFA’s OneMillionMoms.com responded with a call on supporters to lobby Penney’s to replace DeGeneres because she is gay. The plea at the Website says, “JCPenney offends again. Make a personal phone call to JCPenney’s corporate headquarters and ask JCPenney to replace Ellen DeGeneres as their new spokesperson immediately to remain neutral in the culture war.”
The AFA, which also has launched boycotts of Johnson & Johnson and Cracker Barrel over pro-gay actions, is characterized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. OneMillionMoms' mission, according to the Website, is to enlist women "fed up with the filth many segments of our society, especially the entertainment media, are throwing at our children."
GLAAD has collected more than 25,000 signatures on a petition supporting JCPenney and DeGeneres, who recently won a People's Choice Award for favorite daytime talk show host. In a press statement, the organization noted that firing someone because of sexual orientation remains legal in 29 states.
