AFP AUDIO INTERVIEW
As reported in the pages of this newspaper, legislation signed by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory on March 23 requiring public schools and agencies to segregate bathrooms based on someone’s birth certificate, has created quite the stir around the world, and set the stage for a classic conservative versus liberal pitched battle.
One of the first to come out swinging from the liberal corner was Target Corporation, who reiterated its “inclusivity” policy on their website on April 19 under the heading “Continuing to Stand for Inclusivity.”
Two days later, the conservative, Christian charity the American Family Association (AFA) threw the next punch by organizing a fantastically successful online boycott of the retailer that has many in the corner of the Cultural Marxists concerned.
Dave Gahary spoke with Meeke Addison, a spokesperson for the AFA, in this important interview (23:58).
Christians Battle Bathroom Buffoonery
• AFP speaks with group that waged successful boycott of big retailer for perverse restroom policy.
By Dave Gahary
As reported in the pages of this newspaper, legislation signed by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory on March 23 requiring public schools and agencies to segregate bathrooms based on someone’s birth certificate, has created quite the stir around the world, and set the stage for a classic conservative versus liberal pitched battle.
One of the first to come out swinging from the liberal corner was Target Corporation. Created in 1902 as Goodfellow Dry Goods, the country’s second-largest discount retailer after Walmart, reiterated its “inclusivity” policy on their website on April 19 under the heading “Continuing to Stand for Inclusivity,” stating in part that “. . . Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.”
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Two days later, the conservative, Christian charity the American Family Association (AFA) threw the next punch by organized a fantastically successful online boycott of the retailer that has many in the corner of the Cultural Marxists concerned.
In order to gain a greater understanding of the matter, AMERICAN FREE PRESS contacted the AFA and spoke with Meeke Addison, a black married mother of four, with one on the way.
Founded in 1977 and originally called the National Federation for Decency, the AFA has a long and successful history of boycotts aimed at culture and value destroying entities, and was successful in forcing 7-Eleven to stop selling Playboy and Penthouse magazines in 1986.
AFP asked what motivated AFA to join the fight.
“We have 0.3% of the population identifying as transgender,” Meeke began. “And so what Target is saying is we want to esteem 0.3% of the population over and above the rest of the population and to address a problem that never existed.”
She continued. “It’s so important for people to understand how outrageous this is. We are talking about the most vulnerable place you will be publicly: changing your clothes in the dressing room or using the restroom. Both of these involve disrobing. Both of these involve a level of vulnerability that nobody wants to be in with a member of the opposite sex, who is also a stranger.”
Since AFA’s Boycott Target Pledge was launched on April 21, over 1.25 million people have signed up, including, in the interests of fair disclosure, this writer.
“Target has crossed the line by intentionally exposing women and girls to voyeurs and sexual predators with their restroom and dressing room policy,” AFA states.
When the number of those who signed the pledge hit 1 million, the president of AFA and the son of the founder, visited Target headquarters to meet with senior management.
Management simply said, ‘we’re gonna continue to embrace our belief in diversity and inclusion,’” explained Ms. Addison.
“There are an awful lot of people who have signed this pledge who have said, ‘you know what, I’m not religious, but this is ridiculous, this is absolutely outrageous.’ You don’t have to be religious to understand how deviant and harmful this type of agenda is.”
AFP asked who the bad guy are in this battle.
“Having President Obama as their champion has been a game changer,” Addison explained. “Obama’s shift on what is defined as marriage, how people should be able to identify, and whether or not those are ‘civil rights,’ I think that has led to what’s happening at the corporate level.”
Groups like this the ACLU, the ADL and the Human Rights Campaign, were also fingered.
“I think that there are deep pockets associated with this, and if you look at some of the major players in Hollywood, there’s an incredible amount of groupthink happening,” Meeke said.
AFP asked what the next step was for AFA and the boycott.
“We intend to go back to Target when we hit 2 million signers,” Meeke said.
Target’s stock price has dropped from $82.75 when the boycott began to a low of $67.06 on May 19, but it’s unclear at this point if the is hurting the firm’s bottom line. Common sense dictates, however, that the number of signers pledged to take their money elsewhere will eventually impact the retailer’s profit and loss statement.
Dave Gahary, a former submariner in the U.S. Navy, is the host of AFP’s ‘Underground Interview’ series. He prevailed in a suit brought by the New York Stock Exchange in an attempt to silence him.
Be sure to check out all of AFP’s free audio interviews. You’ll find them on the HOME PAGE, in the ARCHIVES & in the AUDIO section.
Bathroom Blackmailers
• Feds threaten to keep funds from schools over potty policies
By Rep. Ron Paul
Debates over the U.S. government’s foreign and economic policies have recently taken a backseat to the debate over what bathroom transgender individuals should use. The two sides of the debate both believe that government has the legitimate authority to tell private businesses who they should allow to use their facilities. Few on either side of this debate defend the right of private property owners to decide for themselves who may and may not use their bathrooms.
Some say government must be involved in this issue in order to ensure that private businesses do not violate individual rights. Those who make this claim are accepting the idea that rights are no more than a gift from the government that can be revoked at the will and whim of legislators and bureaucrats. This argument turns rights from a shield protecting our liberties into a sword that can and will be used to increase government control of our lives.
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Two weeks ago, the Department of Education waded into this debate by threatening to withhold federal funds from schools that do not allow transgender students to use the restroom of their choice. State and local officials around the country have promised to resist the Education Department’s new bathroom rules. However, given how addicted most state and local governments and school boards are to federal funds, it is likely that even most conservative state governments and school boards will eventually adopt the bathroom policies desired by federal bureaucrats.
Many of the conservatives who (correctly) denounce the Obama administration for trying to blackmail local schools either supported or were silent when a so-called conservative administration expanded the federal role in education via No Child Left Behind. These conservatives fail to realize that No Child Left Behind’s testing and other mandates are no different in principle from President Barack Obama’s bathroom mandates. Both use money stolen from the people and sent back to the states to force states to change their policies according to federal commands. Both are equally unconstitutional. Conservatives who want to defend local schools from federal bureaucrats must work to repeal, not reform, the Department of Education.
One positive result from this latest controversy is that it may encourage more parents to homeschool. Homeschooling is a means for parents to provide their children a quality education that meets the children’s needs. Homeschooling allows parents to ensure that their child’s education reflects their values and beliefs, not the values and beliefs of federal bureaucrats.
Ron Paul, a former U.S. representative from Texas and medical doctor, continues to write his column “Texas Straight Talk” for the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education.
