The American Family Association, which has been recognized as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, claims it has secured a meeting with a “representative” for Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.
The meeting with McMillon’s representative, which AFA told subscribers to its email list is scheduled to take place “later this month,” will be purportedly used to discuss an ad Walmart shared on Facebook that featured a same-sex couple. As Right Wing Watch has previously reported, the ad sent AFA into a nuclear meltdown, with the organization accusing Walmart of joining a “cultural revolution” to normalize same-sex relationships. AFA launched a petition to urge Walmart to return “back to its founding principles” that the organization says gathered 163,000 signatures.
Tim Wildmon, AFA’s president, wrote to subscribers that the organization’s meeting with a Walmart representative will seek answers to questions the group has about the ad. From AFA’s April 3 newsletter:
These questions remain for Mr. [Doug] McMillon:
1. Are you aware of the 163,000 families who are offended by the ad and have signed AFA’s petition to Walmart for its removal?
2. Have you viewed the ad and read the gay-affirming comments posted by Walmart with some posts accompanied by the rainbow flag? The rainbow flag, commonly known as the gay pride flag or LGBT pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride and LGBT social movements. The appearance here is that Walmart, Inc. has joined the LGBT movement. Is this true or false?
3. Are you aware that Walmart has only commented on the positive posts on the ad but has completely ignored the hundreds expressing objections? Does this mean that Walmart does not care about those who have objections and have been offended?
4. 163,000 families supportive of AFA – including many of your own customer base – have been offended by the gay-affirming ad. What is your defense of the ad? These families are awaiting a response – and deserve one.
5. AFA has always maintained that Walmart and other corporations should not take sides by promoting the LGBTQ social and political agenda. Why has Walmart chosen sides against the traditional definition of family with this ad?
AFA spokespersons have blamed LGBTQ people for train crashes, discouraged funding for HIV/AIDS research, attempted to link LGBTQ activists to pedophilia, described LGBTQ relationships as “dangerous” and “sordid,” and cited a poem about the Holocaust to defend gay conversion therapy. Additionally, voices for the organization have been vehemently anti-Muslim, going so far as to argue that Muslims should be excluded from serving in Congress.
