Posted on 12/01/2002 4:35:08 PM PST by TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!
Sex-charged mags are gone from check-out lanes at Wal-Mart ... or are they?
Wal-Mart's recent announcement that sexually charged magazines would be removed from at least two check-out lanes per store - four lanes in the larger stores that include groceries - has raised several questions.
Meanwhile, radical homosexual activists led by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) have targeted the retail giant for a national protest, partly because it will not give special protections to "transgender" (gender-confused) employees.
Which Lanes?
Wal-Mart's announcement about the racy magazines didn't come with a stated company-wide policy on which lanes the magazines would be removed from, leaving customers to ferret them out in each store.
When this writer called Wal-Mart's toll-free customer service number to inquire about the issue, she was told that there was no system in place nationwide, and was instructed to contact the upper management in her local store.
The local store denied having any magazines in their check-out lanes.
"This is a major loose end that Wal-Mart needs to tie up for the sake of families," said Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute. "I would advise customers to contact Wal-Mart's toll-free customer service line and ask about the company's plans to mark the aisles, so that customers can make an informed choice."
"By contacting customer service with such questions, families will be able to thank Wal-Mart for this move, and encourage them to set a clear policy on magazine display quickly," he added. "Customer service representatives can also give you the number to your local Wal-Mart, so you can verify before you shop."
But the lack of a clear policy on the sexy magazine rollback has American Decency Association President Bill Johnson concerned.
"This is the very reason why Wal-Mart should remove such materials from all of its check-out lanes," he told C&F Report. "Without the 'clean' lanes being clearly marked, customers will gravitate to the shortest check-out line and will continue to be unwillingly exposed to this material. The general public is not going to know and will not benefit from this rollback."
Johnson notes that publishers actually "rent" highly visible placement for their magazines, and so retailers like Wal-Mart need motivation to remove the revenue-producing publications. He also adds that many local store managers want to run a store with higher standards.
He told C&F Report that he had several people say that when they expressed their concern about the racy publications to local store management, the items were removed.
"While store managers are of all stripes, there remain many customer-sensitive and decency-friendly managers who only need the support of concerned shoppers to take the appropriate action," Johnson said.
Wal-Mart Still Not in Timothy's Plan
Meanwhile, Arthur Ally, president of The Timothy Plan, said while he applauds this move by Wal-Mart, it is not a strong enough action to prompt his mutual funds to re-invest in Wal-Mart stock.
"This is a good start, but Christians shouldn't be satisfied until these magazines are removed from ALL check-out lanes," Ally told C&F Report. Ally said that condition must be met before The Timothy Plan feels confident re-investing in Wal-Mart.
"Why do they have to have it in the check-out lanes anyway?" he asked. "Sexually suggestive magazines are the marijuana of the porn industry. It gets people accustomed to being surrounded by sexual messages. Now even the good, family-oriented magazines are adding more sexual content to keep up with the sales of the racier periodicals."
Where does the fight go now? Ally says it should stay on Wal-Mart.
"We encourage people to contact Wal-Mart and thank them for this first step," he said. "However, we must remember that concerned Christians have been given 'segregated' check-out stands, as it were. There is no reason we should stop fighting for the elimination of this material from all of the check-out lanes. These magazines should be on a magazine rack where those who want them can find them, not in the face of every family there to purchase children's videos and Christ-honoring gift wrap."
Radical Homosexuals Target Family Retailer
As pro-family groups lobby Wal-Mart for decency, a radical homosexual pressure group has launched a campaign to persuade the retailer to enact special rights.
Pride At Work, a creation of the AFL-CIO, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, are joining in protest of local Wal-Mart stores on November 21. The organizations want to pressure the nation's largest retailer to enact homosexual domestic partner benefits and include sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination policy. (The Task Force is a leftist "gay" group that is allied with sadomasochists and wife-swapping sexual "swingers.")
The Pride at Work press release says that activists plan to "shine a light on the real Wal-Mart," where there is "no written nondiscrimination policy on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression" and where there are "no domestic partner benefits for Wal-Mart employees."
Peter LaBarbera, senior policy analyst for the Culture and Family Institute, criticized the expressed agenda.
"It is clear from their statements that these radical activists aren't concerned with homosexuals losing their jobs; they are focused on making it possible for, say, male employees to come to work in a dress - no matter how outrageous and disruptive that might be," he said.
"They also demand that Wal-Mart provide full health insurance benefits to a homosexual employee's lover," he added, "even though their own literature says that 60 percent of Wal-Mart employees have no health insurance benefit. Funding unnatural homosexual relationships undermines marriage and promotes wrong and harmful behavior."
Johnson says these protests from the far left further highlight the need for concerned pro-family customers to be vocal about their concerns.
"We must continue to be the salt and the light that Christ called us to be," he said. "When we express our concerns, and our neighbors know of it, it encourages them to speak up as well. We need that groundswell of citizen action to make a lasting difference."
Take Action
To reach Wal-Mart's corporate headquarters:
Wal-Mart
Corporate Offices
Lee Scott, President
702 SW 8th Street
Bentonville, AR 72716-0705
lee.scott@wal-mart.com
Phone: 479-277-3195
FAX: 479-273-1970
Toll Free: 1-800-WAL-MART
Believe it or not, many US corporations now offer "domestic partner" health benefits. In my industry (IT) for example, it's getting rare to find a company that doesn't extend benefits to domestic partners (an expansion of traditional spousal benefits that includes gay/lesbian lovers). I don't like it but there it is.
And even more enjoy the stupid women's fashion magazines that CWA is complaining about here. CWA is not complaining about Playboy, they are complaining about Mademoiselle and those other magazines with the "10 ways to improve your sex life" sub-headlines.
Why do gays always lisp? Tongues worn out?
Righto!! AIDS is much more fun, ain't it?
That's hilarious! Good one, Texas Eagle!
USA TODAY.com (AP): "U.S. SYPHILIS RATE RISES FOR FIRST TIME IN DECADE" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Syphilis is on the rise in the United States for the first time in more than a decade, largely because of outbreaks among gay and bisexual men in several big cities, the government reported Thursday. The trend suggests a potential resurgence in transmission of the AIDS virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said." (103102)
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