Geez, what are you like when you're out of control? The problem on FR is...well, people like you. When people like me try to make an intelligent point about something--that a company trying to sell goods or services to a certain constituency doesn't mean they are favoring that constituency, or endorsing the lifestyle, but simply trying to sell more STUFF, like any good capitalist, you go and bring God into it. And start ranting and raving.
There are definitely companies that have crossed the line when courting certain types of people...but they really get into trouble when they espouse certain behaviors in and of themselves. Those companies exist, have crossed the line, and gotten boycotts for themselves.
But have you considered this: there are marketing and merchandising professionals all over the place who are simply trying to sell their goods and services to as many people as possible, and they don't give a hang what those people are like or believe in. They want to get their money out of their pockets and into the pockets of the company.
As for the "pretty big" company you work for: I get this feeling you are likely kept away from the public. "I work for a pretty big company, and we're not trying to expand our market by appealing to a "customer constituency" that has at it's core, a blatant disregard for God's Word against homosexuality."
What crap you speak. I'm hearing a "blatant disregard" for professional conduct, is what I'm hearing. How about you go into your supervisor and tell him exactly what you said above--and include the "God's Word against homosexuality" part. Better yet, how about you contact your local television station and speak forth on your beliefs--which you say are also your company's beliefs. Do that, okay? Name the company, and set forth your company's policy.
Didn't think so. Folks like you go off the deep end because you can't separate your beliefs from the very real, very imperfect world we all have to make our way through every day. You must be really frosted by now. Good, you deserve it. My personal beliefs against homosexuality are probably more stridently negative than yours are--at minimum, they match yours. The difference is, I know how to function in the world. I would not dream of bringing up a charged subject in front of a client. It's one of the first cardinal rules of business: leave politics and religion outside the workplace.
CBF, you don't got the nerve to speak out about your beliefs to your CUSTOMERS. They might be gay...loss of business. They might have gay kids...loss of business.
Bama? Alabama? I have a great friend down there. He's straighter than Sean Connery, but a very tolerant fellow. Watch the humidity.
Those whose lives have been changed by God understand that you cannot separate yourself into different types of people depending on the circumstances. Bill Clinton and his people championed this train of thought. He could be one type of person inside the Oval Office and another in the little closet just off the Oval Office. The thinking went: he can separate his personal life from his professional life, and we shouldn't hold him professionally responsible for his personal indiscretions. I don't hold to this belief. Surprise!
My company doesn't court gays (remember the title of this thread?) My boss and I are on the same page and HAVE discussed it. But we're not stupid enough to set ourselves up for lawsuits by establishing a company policy against homosexuals. You don't have to have a policy to follow a certain course of action and we have chosen to NOT court the gay market.
And if I can send my dollars to companies who think along the same lines, I will. Yes, some marketing professionals don't give a hang about what people think or believe. I do. Any time you take a stand for what you believe is right, people get incensed.