Posted on 05/29/2009 10:45:18 AM PDT by NYer
SAN FRANCISCO, May 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Levi Strauss & Co., the jeans manufacturer that has long been a leader in corporate support for the homosexual activist movement, has come out with a new marketing scheme that may dupe consumers who buy their products into displaying support for same-sex "marriage."
Company owned stores in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco will be displaying their summer line-up of jeans and shirts adorned with "White Knots for Equality," a symbol that denotes support for homosexual "marriage."
The symbol, a white ribbon tied in a knot, was developed by Frank Voci, the owner of a California media company, to capitalize on the opposition to the passage of Proposition 8, the California voter-approved constitutional marriage amendment. The knotted white cloth mimics the various ribbon campaigns such as the pink ribbon for breast cancer campaign.
Commenting on the company's amalgamation of marketing and political activism, senior vice president for global creative services for Levi's, Rene Holguin, said, "Our design team was seeking something that would resonate beyond just fashion but also fit with our white product theme."
The staff members of the stores that are displaying the clothing with white knots have been instructed to engage customers with explanations of the homosexual agenda symbol, hoping that customers will be educated through an informed conversation."
"We have weekly calls with our store managers and we sent out detailed information about the White Knot organization and also ways in which we're supporting marriage equality overall as a company," Levis director of brand marketing and public relations, Erica Archambault, told the New York Times. She added that she wants sales staff "to be educated and able to have an informed conversation that's more interactive than reading off a card or something."
San Francisco-based Levi Strauss was the first Fortune 500 company to extend health benefits to homosexual couples and was a major financial supporter of the "No On Prop 8 Equality Business Council," which was formed to oppose efforts to define marriage as being between one man and one woman in the California constitution.
The company gave $25,000 to Equality for All, the coalition leading the No on 8 campaign, while Robert Haas, the company's chairman emeritus and his wife gave a further $100,000, according to a company spokesman.
A report by Business Wire states that the Levi Strauss Foundation announced yesterday that it will make a $25,000 donation to the National Center For Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and $25,000 to The San Francisco LGBT Community Center (The Center).
NCLR was the lead counsel on the effort to overturn Proposition 8 in the California Supreme Court.
The Center is a homosexual drop-in facility that "organizes and plans the political and cultural future for the LGBT community" in San Francisco.
See related LSN coverage:
Levi Jeans Funds Push for Homosexual "Marriage" in California
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08092911.htmlBy Thaddeus M. Baklinski
Geee...those look very nice.
“White Knots for Equality...”
White flags for?
501 button-ups were the only jeans I bought in my younger days. I never bother to look at brand etc anymore, but I will never buy this gay brand— any sooner than I would buy an Obama car..... and that’s never.
Me too. Overpriced jeans that don’t stand up to daily wear.
DAMN..just bought a pair of Levi’s yesterday.
I switched to Wrangler jeans years ago. Unfortunately, Dockers dress slacks are a great fit and look good, too. Hard to stay away from them. Haggars just dont look as good.
So, Dockers are part of the Levi-Strauss company? I don’t follow fashion but my husband has always loved Dockers for his business-casual workweek. Are Lands End/LL Bean/Kohls good alternatives or are they just as bad? I really don’t know much about the politics of certain companies.
why ‘boycott target’......
“Are these the jeans that have no zipper but an open hole for a fly?”
Hubby calls that the “ flit slit”.
Faded glory and washed up.
I banned Levi’s products from my household years ago because of their support for gun control. No Levi’s, no Dockers, nada.
Wranglers are my jeans!
I’ve got a new advertising slogan for them:
Levi’s are for Queers!
Cheeky!!
Too bad. I like Levis bur don’t like being duped as a consumer. Lee is making a basic jean that fits well now, and there’s lots of competition elsewhere, so Levi needs to not alienate their customers.
Yeah, Dockers are made by Levi-Strauss. Don't know anything about Lands End or the others. Is J. Peterman still in business? I need a good duster!
Levi Strauss is turning over in his grave.
The LAST time they did something dumb (I think stopped giving to the Boy Scouts) I couldn't stop buying their overpriced shoddy product because I had already switched to Wranglers years ago.
Much better jeans for your money. Plus they fit.
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