Posted on 08/23/2006 5:50:17 AM PDT by sweetliberty
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is joining with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to help advance diversity within the Bentonville-based retailer’s operations, the company confirmed Tuesday.
Dee Breazeale, a Wal-Mart vice president, will serve on the chamber’s corporate advisory council, which works to educate corporate America on the benefits of workplace diversity.
“We are honored to have Wal-Mart's support of the NGLCC. Our partnership will not only provide more opportunities for the NGLCC, but the business community as a whole,” Justin Nelson, chamber co-founder and president, said in a news release. “We are pleased with this addition to our organization and to our council.”
Wal-Mart has also agreed to sponsor some of the chamber’s programs, including two of its conferences.
Wal-Mart didn’t issue a news release about its partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, leaving it to the chamber to publish the news at its Web site Monday.
Wal-Mart spokesman Bob McAdam in a telephone interview with The Morning News downplayed any controversy over the issue.
“We participate in all kinds of organizations, hundreds of them, (and) this is just one. It’s not really any different than any outreach we do that represents a segment of our customers,” he said.
Reaction from one quarter was critical, however. American Family Association spokesman Randy Sharp said his organization wasn’t surprised by the news because it was the latest in a “long list” of Wal-Mart actions to “recognize and endorse a personal sexual behavior.”
“It’s disappointing. I personally chose two months ago to stop shopping at Wal-Mart ... and I think others will follow suit,” Sharp said. “Up until a year and a half ago, the AFA applauded Wal-Mart for their pro-family policies, but now it seems Wal-Mart has decided to push aside that legacy left by (founder) Sam Walton and joined those who look at the bottom line and stock prices.”
McAdam retorted that Walton’s legacy was “taking care of customers and taking care of their needs, and in the process we’ll run a profitable business.”
The American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Miss., and headed by Donald Wildmon, criticized Wal-Mart last year when the company held a seminar on how to market to gay America and also just recently when the retailer prominently advertised that it carried the “Brokeback Mountain” DVD in its stores.
Wal-Mart added gays and lesbians to its anti-discrimination policy in 2003. Spokeswoman Linda Blakley said in December that the company’s marketing seminar grew out of an Associate Resource Groups program Wal-Mart launched in April 2005.
The Associates Resource Group features “affinity or network groups” and includes ones for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees. An American Family Association Journal article at the time criticized the program, saying Wal-Mart had “caved in” to gay activists.
Other companies with representatives on the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber Corporate Advisory Council include IBM, Wells Fargo and Kodak, according to the chamber.
I'll tell ya this. If we ever find out any of those slaves in the manufacturing camps are gay, I'm gonna go ballistic.
I hate to say this about the company I work for, but us "old-timers" have watched these young little fools with many "degrees" after their name and NO common sense go against everything Sam stood for, and what he built his empire upon.
These kids better watch out or Wal-Mart will go the way of K-Mart.
" “We are honored to have Wal-Mart's support of the NGLCC. "
Translation: "We're glad that we Sodomites have another ally. If we get enough people to approve of our sodomy, we won't, maybe, feel so guilty.
target went over to the dark side a long time ago. i stopped shopping there when they were more willing to support the homosexuals than our troops, but when they refused to let the salvation army have bell ringers outside of their stores, i vowed never to set foot in one again.
And how will Wal-Mart verify the response?
Not for me! I hate shopping there - it's like a 3rd world country and the lines are looong. I'll pay 40 cents more for something rather than have to even go in the place.
I would tell them that I'll be doing my CHRISTMAS shopping someplace where they celebrate Christmas.
I don't know.
Why is this a problem? I don't see a problem with a store wanting to market to non-Christians as well as Christians. Do you only shop at stores that market specifically to Christians?
>>>Why is this a problem? I don't see a problem with a store wanting to market to non-Christians as well as Christians. Do you only shop at stores that market specifically to Christians?
I think you meant to respond to post 13. I did not object to to Wal-Mart's use of "holiday season" in my post, but merely noted an economic reason for doing so.
But there is one problem - while FORD has had a drastic dip in sales (more significant than other auto manufactureres), auto buyers generally have quite a few choices.
But with WalMart - many of the "choices" in many communities have been snuffed out by WalMart.
The "big box" store mentality has become the foundation of retail in many places.... thus there are quite limites alternatives. I tried for about a year to eliminate, or come as close as I could, WalMart from my shopping. I still found that every so often, I wound up at WalMart anyway - because they were the only place I could find what I needed/when I needed it.
I have basically given up - although I do go to other retailers if at all possible - and even will sometimes spend a small bit more for a product to not go to WalMart. But we just haven't been able to completely give them up. With two small children - and a reduces income - we just don't have much choice.
I am not one of the "anti-Walmart" "anti-big business" crowd, but I do the same thing as you.
I buy at the local hardware store, local lumber company, etc., wherever possible, but it's not always possible. I try to buy locally, from locals, and avoid the Big Box places, too, but some items aren't always available that way.
So, we're stuck with trying to minimize frequenting merchants/corporations with an agenda or who support agenda's I don't approve of.
I believe a lot of folks do that, and it adds up.
Yup - you're right - my bad...
diversity=anybody but conservative white people.
diversity = anythiny but DO YOUR JOB.
diversity = more taxes for BS training
diversity = grants to left wing organizations. (see shakedown)
don't be a silly, everybody knows christmas is in july...
(sarcasm off)
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