Home Depot to American Family Ass.: take a hike, we support gay causes

The American Family Association presented Home Depot's board of directors with his organization's demand that they stop funding gay pride events and other events that promote tolerance and diversity. He had a petition with about 500,000 signatures from people who've vowed to boycott the store unless it joins them in their campaign against gay people.

Home Depot Chairman Frank Blake told the AFA to take a hike, stated that Home Depot was proud of its support for diversity, and that's that.

Like all big box stores, Home Depot isn't without its problems, but today, they've shown some real backbone.

Home Depot Tells AFA To Take A Hike (via Making Light)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Effsix

That’s awesome, they can put up a slogan outside saying “Bigot Free since 2011″.
Unmutual

Tinfoil hat time

Could this be a false flag sort of PR stunt? Home Depot gets flack from liberals for supporting republican candidates. There’s a “Buy here, not there” list that has Home Depot on the Red side for its contributions to the GOP. And then I see this AFA guy is also boycotting McDonald’s (under related vids). Is this reverse psychology to get liberals to start coming back to these places?
- JimEJim
  
  I don’t know about it being false flag, but I’m also a little confused. I had it in my mind that Home Depot was run by bigots at some point, but maybe that was with the previous CEO, as someone else mentioned earlier. I just recall reading articles in the past about them supporting causes I had problems with, but maybe they’ve changed in the last few years.
  
  This is one of those cases where I’m going to have to go back and check my assumptions and do a little more research again.
serfer0

Young man, in what aisle may I find a ‘clasp of Satan?’
I need a couple for my gay doggy door.
Anonymous

Makes me want to going shopping at Home Depot, good for them to stand up to the nut jobs that apparently not only think they support God’s view, now they think they are God, how sad.
Anonymous

I loved the part where homophobe Buddy Smith says they’re threatening a boycott because, “We love our neighbors”.

Unless their neighbors are gay, in which case they can writhe in the fires of hell for all eternity.

Bravo for Home Depot.
MR

I live equidistant between a Lowes and a Home Depot.

I will now shop at Home Depot every time.
cpolk

I have a *really cool* hardware store nearby that I can spin to if I need screws and whatnot, but I am going to need some paint, and I know where I’m going to buy it.
Anonymous

The clash between religions and religious taught beliefs are the cause of the majority of violence in the world today. When are people going to wake up and realize that people are just a sum total of their life experiences and except them for what they are? If people could just get along and help out the person across the street, the person in the next state, the person in the next country and the person on the other side of the world, regardless of who they are or what they believe. The entire world would be an infinitely better place… Can’t we all just get along??? Why does everyone have to act like a spoiled five year old and think that they are the best thing to happen to the world ever…?
RyanH

For the dozens of posts saying that this decision will be the deciding factor where you shop, don’t just say it here. Send a message or an e-mail or find a corporate contact number or even the customer service at you local store and let them know that this specific announcement has changed your buying decisions.

That’s what makes more stores take the same step.
- Anonymous
  
  http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=Contact_Us&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&locStoreNum=4609
  
  Here it is!
SamSam

More like Homo Depot!!! Am I right?
jacques45

“As a sizable majority of America is still uncomfortable with the issue of homosexuality…”

“…alienating Evangelical Christians in favor of a much smaller minority is a bad idea.”

http://pollingreport.com/civil.htm

More than a few recent polls have shown that those opposing gay marriage are now in the minority.
SamSam

Damn, hobomike already made that joke…

Anyway, good for them. They have always been my favorite big box store, and now I have a reason for saying that.
dwgs

Buddy…Buddy, who else do I know by that name? Oh yeah, Buddy!
And he’s on topic too.
Heartfruit

Here’s the thing I don’t get about this story. I just looked up the corporate sponsors of 4 large pride festivals in North America. Home Depot wasn’t listed on any of them (they may sponsor smaller ones) but Bud Light was a major sponsor of all of them. Guess the Christian right aren’t willing to give up beer in pursuit of their beliefs.
Improbus

I will patronize anyone that stands up to “Christian” bigots. Good on you HD.
clmania

My husband and I are Christians and we love our son to death who is gay. He’s been so happy and carefree ever since he told us about him. He does a lot of things for the community.

We shop at Home Depot which is convenient for us and now we will definitely be shopping there for all the things that we need. We applaud Home Depot for standing up to their convictions. Thank you so much Home Depot for supporting the gay community.
Jake0748

Yeah, Home Cheapo is a big, dumb store, just like all the rest of them. But… next time I need a widget, I’m going there to buy it. Good for them.
Anonymous

I will buy all my stuff at Home Depot from now. Hopefully it will be a lot of machines and other things down the road. I love that you support diversity. Those super conservative bigots really can TAKE A HIKE!
Dr. Robert Svensson, WV
Anonymous

Regardless about how I feel about gay rights issues, its cool to see a company hold to their convictions like this.
oyvinja

Now, I don’t want to fuel any stereotype here, but could it be that the gay community do a lot more redecorating/handiwork than the [fundamentalist] christian community, and so generates more business for Home Depot?
In any case, nice move from HD.
Jake0748

Oh yeah… and another plus. Next time I go in there I won’t have to stand in line behind any right-wing, “Christian” nutjobs.
nixiebunny

It’s so sad that some people feel that it’s their duty to think less of others because of their sexuality. This Christian guy sounds like he’s genuinely sorry that Home Depot is promoting Satan’s cause.

Can we please get comparative religion taught in the schools? We need our next generation of Americans to understand that their religion is not objective truth.
bardfinn

The nutbars who are involved with the AFA (and similar) have been, for /YEARS/, building an “alternative/parallel economy” – book stores, craft stores (Hobby Lobby), restaurants (chik-fil-a) even drug stores/pharmacies that are owned by fundamentalists, staffed by fundamentalists (or at least ‘Christians’), where the revenues are funnelled back to fundamentalist causes.

Since this has become a known movement, the nutbars walking up to a large, publicly-owned or progressive company and saying “OPPRESS TEH GAYS AND PAGANS OR LOSE OUR REVENUES” have already tipped their hand — they have no intention or habit of patronising Home Depot in the first place – wherever possible, they’re doing business with the parallel economy retailers in the first place, so Home Depot wouldn’t be losing any actual revenue.

The AFA nutbars will buy or build (if they haven’t already) their own parallel home improvement store chain. The rest of us will watch them discriminate themselves out of economies of scale and into bankruptcy.
Antinous / Moderator

I’ll just celebrate by mixing up a five-gallon orange bucket of martinis.
- Churba
  
  Might I suggest picking one of these up to mix your orange martinis?
  http://www.homedepot.com/Paint-Paint-Tools-Mixers-Stirrers/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbtta/R-100392767/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
- Anonymous
  
  Make it vodka and I’m in.
- Anonymous
  
  Sounds awesome, only one though… I don’t think those buckets are food safe ;-)
- facetedjewel
  
  I’ll bring the olives.
  - Felton / Moderator
    
    Of course, you can have those martinis shaken or stirred at Home Depot’s paint department.
Anonymous

As a carpenter, I think Jesus would definitely support Home Depot
- Gulliver
  
  @ Anon #7
  
  As a carpenter, I think Jesus would definitely support Home Depot
  
  These are the times I wish I knew how to draw. The images this conjures up aren’t merely blasphemous. They’re downright hilarious!
  
  Maybe we could get the video editor that put together the porn montage last week and the director that made the George Lucas trailer yesterday and get them to make Holy Big Orange Balls of Fire.
  
  Incidentally if anyone wants to join me at my table in the afterlife, I’ll be by the fire.
  
  Anonymous
  
  umm,I call myself a Christian because I am a follower of Christ. I believe in His ideals, thoughts, and teachings. I do NOT go to church because of the very thing I find in these comments: a bunch of people advancing their own personal agenda and using Christ’s name to validate their positions. Christ speaks to me through my heart, the Bible, and the daily events in my life. I don’t need anyone to tell me what God wants for me. He tells me Himself.
  
  Or, to put it more simply for you, I speak for myself. I do not presume to speak for anyone else.
  
  Gulliver
  
  @ Anon #124
  
  umm,I call myself a Christian because I am a follower of Christ. I believe in His ideals, thoughts, and teachings. I do NOT go to church because of the very thing I find in these comments: a bunch of people advancing their own personal agenda and using Christ’s name to validate their positions. Christ speaks to me through my heart, the Bible, and the daily events in my life. I don’t need anyone to tell me what God wants for me. He tells me Himself.
  
  Spiffy. Then I wasnâ€™t talking about you. I was talking about the bigots who hate in the name of your Savior while ignoring His teachings. Hopefully my history of comments would make that distinction clear, but if not, then now it should. I have a number of Christian friends. I also have Muslim, Jewish and Pagan friends. I wouldnâ€™t be friends with them if I thought they were bigots.

Anonymous

I will now shop exclusively at home depot just to spite those Bible thumping bigots.

oyvinja

This is completely beside the topic, but does apply to christian double standards: down the hall from my office is the department of religious studies. One of the professors has put a poster on his door, with a satanic/cultish symbol on it. The poster says “Teach the controversy”.

Anonymous

Just because some one teaches religious studies doesn’t mean they believe in any of them. I believe the point of the poster was to say that if you study enough religions you start to see a pattern that all religions think they are the only true religion with the only true God/Gods and you realize that’s impossible and how silly it all is. Teaching people to look at different religions from several view points is eye opening.

Nash Rambler

Way to go HD!

emmdeeaych

My ex worked for HD a long time, and still does. I formed the opinion that the staff was always more diverse than the community at large. Especially that way.

Anonymous

I used to work as a sales rep in Home Depot stores and I can say that they have do make a huge effort in maintaining a diverse staff. I worked with a ton of people from the LGBT community in their stores and in talking with them, I was always given the impression that Home Depot was a good company to work for. So I would imagine telling AFA anything other than take a hike would not sit well with the employees. Still, it’s good to see a company stand by some principles despite the threat of a boycott, although I question how dedicated the 500,000 people who signed the petition really would be. I’m sure a little price shopping would quell a lot of their outrage, especially in this economy.

oasisob1

First of all, the AFA assumes all Home Depot Stores are male, which is wrong. Here I’ve taken their call to action against Home Depot and made it pro-Home Depot…

Shareholders will be addressing the board of directors personally this week and plan to make sure the board of directors know they need to end the boycott! But…they need YOUR support.

Your local store manager is the closest personal contact you can have with the company. They are the “eyes and ears” of the company and can make sure your concerns get to the right people.

TAKE ACTION

Today, call your local Home Depot store and ask to speak to the manager. You can find the number to your local store here (click “Store Finder” at top of page) or in your local phone book.

Politely let him know you are not boycotting the store so long as the company agrees to remain neutral in the culture wars and continues supporting diversity and tolerance.

Sample call text:

Hello, my name is ________. I’m calling to let you know that I will be shopping at your Home Depot store because I support the decision to celebrate and support diverity, in partcular, as it applies to the support of homosexual rights groups and activities.

I know you do not make the decisions for the company and may not have a lot of influence on company decisions. However, since you represent the company in our community, I’m asking you to forward my message to your district manager or directly to the corporate office.

I strongly disagree with the actions of the American Family Association, has set up a special website designed to fuel the spread of hatred and intolerance. The website address is http://www.BoycottTheHomeDepot.com. I hope they get some Lulz.

Thank you for your time, and for listening to my concerns.
——————–
No really, I hope they get some Lulz…

allen

Way to go Home Depot!

Now please start stocking better powertools =/

Anonymous

I almost vomited while watching this video. But then i remembered that for every narrow minded bigot out there that would give HD less business, there’s always someone who respects HD for their stance and replaces the lost business.

Life’s pretty funny. No-one ever gets the intended consequences and in most dualistic us v. them publicity stunts. it never really harms one group, just polarizes the masses.

So let them hate, so more people can choose to either embrace love or suffer in hate.

Tau’ma

This is a freedom of religion issue if there ever was one and that includes freedom of people imposing “religion” which is no religion at all just straight up bigotry. Sex is sacred. I have no problem with people stating ideals… BUT, when they seek to impose “ideals”, it’s a hate group it’s obvious that it has nothing to do with love. “Love” that imposes, tries to force itself on people, isn’t love. The trick is loving these haters which is admittedly not easy.

Anonymous

I love gays. I tolerate Christians…barely. Maybe if they stopped this hate campaign it would be a little easier. Because I’m about to the end of my rope tolerating people who are hateful bigots. Home depot is all right in my book.

Anonymous

Such backbone = good.

This’ll settle the Home Depot or Lowe’s question for me for the near future.

Now… Ass., Assoc., or Assn.?

Christie

@oyvinja Was it one of these? If so, it’s a joke.

http://controversy.wearscience.com/

oyvinja

@Christie: none of those (a lot more sinister looking), but yes, I assume it is a joke. The prof is an authority on the occult and satanism, but I think he is actually an atheist.

Anonymous

Is it wrong for me to complain that the Discworld shirt in that link is geographically inaccurate?

Anonymous

The elephants and turtle thing is actually taken from several cultures of the world (wiki: world turtle) so not wrong per say, but Terry Pratchet was never too fond of maps of the discworld anyway :D

nixiebunny

It’s not Discworld, it’s the Hollow Earth theory. Completely different subject. The Aluminum-studded Nazi Hell Creatures live inside the hollow earth.

Anonymous

Ha! But I think it’s more to do with a traditional alternative cosmology…

Anonymous

part of the joke. maps were terrible back when.

Anonymous

The “Teach the Controversy” poster may be from a hilarious T-shirt company that has fun with the intelligent campaign of the same name.

Anonymous

Wow. I wish we had a HD here in Aus… I wouldn’t shop anywhere else!

It never ceases to amaze me how narrow-minded people can be. Especially those who claim to preach ‘acceptance’. More love, people!

Anonymous

I have never had any real product loyalty before. But now I will make every effort I can to shop at Home Depot!

Anonymous

If this so-called Christian organization needs something to do with their time (and clearly they do), they should go into a Home Depot and pair all of the nuts with their matching bolts. Because the way Home Depot packages them now is only promoting the gay lifestyle. ; )

Anonymous

Home Depot is now my GO TO PLACE. The man who is speaking is a bigoted homophobe and disgusts me. By the way, I am a Christian and believe there is also something in the Bible about loving thy neighbor and not judging. Well, I think when we are in line at the pearly gates where some of these crazies, I refuse to say fundamentalists because I think I’m a fundamentalist, are assuming they are going to be welcome, they will have a lot of explaining to do. The Bible may mention homosexuality is wrong, but it also says getting remarried if you got divorced for the “wrong” reasons is wrong, as is sleeping with someone who isn’t your spouse. I’m betting the man speaking has a daughter or a son or a brother or a sister who has FORNICATED or committed ADULTRY and he isn’t asking their employer or the company that sponsors their softball team to stop.

BOTTOM LINE – WE DON’T GET TO CHOOSE WHICH PARTS OF THE BIBLE WE WANT TO FOLLOW AND WHICH PARTS WE CHOOSE TO GIVE A PASS.

Thanksalatte

Now where can I find “thou shall not commit gay marriage” in the bible???? I sure can find “Thou shall not commit adultery”- it’s the seventh one. Now I wonder how many people who believe in the bible are divorced and remarried/shacking up with another? Now why is this widely accepted???

Way to go Home Depot!

Anonymous

Hey, American Family Asshole Association…. Go FORK yourself!

Antinous / Moderator

Since my local Home Depot is staffed by retired plumbers, electricians, contractors, etc., and the local Lowes is staffed by ne’er-do-wells, this works out quite well for me.

Gulliver

As someone who does a lot of hardware shopping for my woodworking hobby and spends a fair amount on home improvements I concur that Home Depot is significantly superior Lowes. Lowes knows how to disappear when a customer needs assistance, and that’s rarely a loss of any magnitude.

That said, HD’s lumbar options and tool selection leave much to be desired, but that’s what the lumbar yard and crafts stores are for. For everything else, there’s Home Depot :)

Enormo

Home Depot has their eye on the future of this country’s citizenry. As the tide slowly turns against bigotry, companies who embraced bigotry or hid from progressive practices will be a step behind companies like Home Depot. Brilliant long term move. Also, the right thing to do.

And it just so happens that I need to pick up some drywall.

IronEdithKidd

Just make sure it’s not Georgia Pacific drywall. Unless you like feeding the Koch Machine, that is.

Back OT: *golfclap* in HD’s general direction.

newe1344

500,000 less idiots at home depot…

500,000 new loyal customers…

good trade

Anonymous

Anyone who hasn’t “liked” the home depot on facebook should today, let’s give these guys some good metrics for their shareholders for this decision! Aside from shopping there more of course, but something today will be easier to trace back to the news of them standing up, one would think.

Gulliver

I’ll be sitting with George Carlin watching Buddy Smith bask in the flames :)

Anonymous

Looks like I’ll be shopping at Home Depot more. Good for them and good for any company with the same view.

I don’t understand how the AFA can think it is doing the right thing, loving their neighbor and so on, when they are so far off base. But then I guess they could say the same thing about Home Depot. Thankfully they are free not to shop there, and Home Depot is free to be a caring, supporting company.

bex

America is an odd country at times, if the gentleman came on the radio in the UK talking about saten most people would think he had a screw loose.

Jake0748

Loose screws? Home Depot has whatever you need to fix that. :)

Gulliver

America is an odd country at times, if the gentleman came on the radio in the UK talking about saten most people would think he had a screw loose.

Please don’t get the impression that blockheads such as this AFA bigot represent the majority. Even my Christian friends would consider this guy an asshole. But when you have a populace of 300 million, even a turd such as this can find enough Fundies to pad his pockets.

Anonymous

Americans think these people have a few screws loose too, it’s just that too many Americans are too nice about it to point it out. I’m not one of those people, but that seems to be the only reason why we have so many issues like this. I wish we had the Public Order Act here so that we’d hear less of these guys.

Gulliver

@ Anon #109

I wish we had the Public Order Act here so that we’d hear less of these guys.

Not me. I want to know exactly who and where the frackers are. An underground bigot is tenfold more dangerous that one that hangs themselves in the light of day.

Hanglyman

Hopefully if enough businesses tell the Christian right bigots that they’re not wanted, it will slowly begin to dawn on them that they’re on the wrong side of history. More likely their fanatical willful ignorance won’t let them accept it, and they’ll spend the rest of their lives angry, resentful and confused, but it’s not as though they haven’t earned it.

Kimmo

Hopefully if enough businesses tell the Christian right bigots that they’re not wanted, it will slowly begin to dawn on them that they’re on the wrong side of history. More likely their fanatical willful ignorance won’t let them accept it, and they’ll spend the rest of their lives angry, resentful and confused, but it’s not as though they haven’t earned it.

Word. Maybe we could distil the notion to a bumper sticker for these tards?

Respect or GTFO.

Anonymous

They won’t actually be confused. They’ll be convinced everyone else is wrong…in a self-righteous kind of way.

Anonymous

Being gay isn’t wrong. I still use a hammer and nails like my straight friends and family. Thank you Home Depot.

elowblue

As i have always said, Religion is human kinds biggest down fall. Good going HD!

ADavies

Good on Home Depot. 500,000 is a lot of potential customers. And while most of the rest of the country support diversity, most probably don’t care enough to change their shopping habits over gay rights.

I’d say this is a gutsy stand by Home Depot, and the right one.

noah django

Just chiming in that HD is based out of ATL, GA, the gayest city in the USA (depending on which stats you believe; yes, SFO, we see you)

Whoop Whoop!

anharmyenone

The existence of people who find fulfillment in same-gender relationships is proof that God is not against such relationships. God is the maker of those people and the author of their sexual natures.

Drabula

next time i need to do me some crucifyin’i know where i’ll buy the wood.

Hopkinsii

Wood yes, but you won’t need nails. How lucky we are to live in the twenty-first century instead of first-century Palestine. We enjoy political freedoms, religious tolerance and the benefits of No More Nails….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4297XZdQsM

Anonymous

I heard about this last year and ever since I’ve been going out of my way to do business with Home Depot over their other competitors. I live closer to a Lowes but I drive that extra mile because of their diversity stance and because it would piss off the AFA.

kullervo

This makes me feel good about all the money I spent in Home Depot yesterday. In fact, this is a great excuse to go back for the drill press.

Anonymous

I wonder if the AFA has a list of stores that they approve of.

So I know where NOT to shop.

Kudos to Home Depot.

Anonymous

Home Depot it is…. very impressive stance. Bigotry of any sort is ugy!

Anonymous

I am a bisexual female happily married with a child. I gotta say seeing this gives me hope for all the other gays, bis, and trans people in the world. They deserve their happiness, and those who deny it based solely on religious practice are too close-minded for me to even consider them human. Especially Christians who judge them. Does it not say in the New Testament “He who is without sin may cast the first stone”? I bet anything not a one of them is without sin. So they SERIOUSLY need to stop being the pot calling the kettle black.

johnnyuber

I am going to buy something right now. Home Depot has just earned my brand loyalty.

Lars

What I like most about this story is that we learn of it, not through some highly orchestrated media event, but though an annoyed man ranting on some fringe show that he was shown the door.

Anonymous

Way to go Homo Depot! Im redoing my closet this week (seriously no pun) It didnt matter to me where I got the supplies till today. Ill come give you some of my straight dollars now, because you have a pair of B@##s.

Anonymous

Way to go HD!

hobomike

Big money says Buddy is g-g-gaaay. He doth protest waaay too much! +1 Homo Depot!!!

notasheep

“Assoc.” is at best ambiguous, because it can also mean “Associates.” “Ass.” is fitting and just hilarious, both because it’s a good label and because the anti-gay folks find anal sex so distasteful.

Jackasimov

I rehabbed the majority of my house using Home Depot supplies. I always sort of resented how they forced out the smaller hardware stores but now I’m glad I used them.

Anonymous

According to Wikipedia, “Seventy-three percent of the Home Depot’s campaign contributions went to Republican candidates in the 2005-2006 US elections.” You can support a parade all you want, but if you are working to get homophobic legislators elected, you are not promoting tolerance, you are subverting it. It’s smoke and mirrors. Until I see that something has changed on that account, I will not be buying from them.

Anonymous

I really love how the speaker claims that he is doing this because he “loves his neighbors”. That’s right, I’m spewing hate because I love my neighbors.

I’m intolerant busybody because I love my neighbors.

Well, I’m lovin’ on Home Depot. They have all *kinds* of employment issues, but they’ve gotten this one right.

Anonymous

Way to go Home Depot, buying all my knick knacks and paddy whacks from there from now on.

cstatman

just like the facebook effect, we can talk about it all we want, sending email or real mail to the HOme Depot CEO thanking him would be more effective.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=Contact_Us&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&locStoreNum=1041

Anonymous

Dang. That makes me want to buy more bud light… except eugh!

Anonymous

Thanks for sticking to your guns, Home Depot. I’ll be seeing you at the register soon.

Anonymous

That is awesome. I like a business that sticks to it’s principles. Niice.

Xof

Definitely, yes, that was a great thing for HD to do.

However, their PAC does tend to donate rather heavily to anti-gay politicians. I doubt that they are doing so specifically to hinder gay rights, but it should be noted that their political dollars are not in agreement with this decision.

Anonymous

There you go, Home Depot is now my new favorite store :)

Anonymous

Ass indeed. From now on, I shop at Home Depot.

Tarliman

Oakheart Farm in Willis, Virginia, a family-owned sustainable organic farm specializing in alpacas and historical crafts, considers Home Depot a preferred vendor. Oakheart will continue to purchase home, garden, and farm supplies from Home Depot in preference to other suppliers. Thank you, Frank Blake, for standing up to bigots and doing what is right.

Anonymous

I’m not usually a big fan of Home Depot… but this makes me glad that some corporations have a bit of humanity

zyodei

News Report:

Thousands of fundamentalist Christian Americans experience basement floods in their rural homes, due to their being too bigoted to buy pipe insulation at only available local hardware store.

More at 11.

Davconn1

It occurs to me that the perfect disguise for Satan would be as someone who’s convinced they’re fighting Satan.

RobertBigelow

I’ve just found a new respect for Home Depot.

Mr. Winka

They think being gay is a choice.

I saw a brilliant interview the other day. They asked people “Do you think people decide to be gay?” and many of them said “Yes”. Then they asked them “So when did you decide to be straight?”. The look on their faces was priceless.

Way to go Home Depot!

Anonymous

The American Family Association does not, in my opinion, represent Americans – who respect the diversity of all citizens – or family, particularly the many, many families in this country who have sons, daughters, ex-wives or husbands who are gay. In the name of Jesus, who taught that LOVE is one of the key teachings of Christianity these people take words of their sacred book, written by MEN who allegedly wrote the words of God, and use them to hide their homophobic underpinnings.

–Starwind Evensong

Anonymous

well, the Log Cabin Republicans have found their place!

i’m surprised and impressed by Home Depot in this story.

And that’s a good thing

traalfaz

Home Depot is unfortunately a bunch of miles farther than Lowes for me; Lowes is very near work. But given this, whenever I’m close to HD and need a hinge or some lumber, I’ll give them the money.

pauldavis

I’m conflicted. I’ve been boycotting HD for years because of the utterly unbelievable attitude of the CEO towards shareholder motions. He actually told one group to go “fuck yourselves” if I recall correctly. But maybe I was boycotting the HD of Nardelli, the old CEO, and perhaps this “new” guy Blake can make it worth rescinding my ban on shopping there.

sdmikev

Yea, that was the other guy.
Since Blake took over, it’s been a better place to shop. They actually have people there that know what they are talking about.
Also, HD has been the target of these stupid AFA assholes for quite some time. I signed up several years ago for their email updates (gotta keep up with the enemy) and have seen much about this. Although I have a feeling they will be quiet now until their PR flacks craft an appropriate response. If that.
Let’s not forget that these are the fucks that published an article on their site (which they pulled) called “Native Americans morally disqualified themselves from the land” Here’s his follow up:
http://www.themoralliberal.com/2011/02/11/column-pulled-heres-why/
Stupid fuck.

Anonymous

It was Nardelli….almost 11 years ago right after he came to HD he froze raises, promotions, incentives and a few other things. At that time HD lost over 35 Managers to other stores. Employees sold their stock and left. Maybe Blake is doing better. Who knows

Anonymous

When are these clowns going to join the the human race and see that they are nothing more than humorous hippocrates with their asinine ideals. Come out of the dark and worship the light that is acceptance. And I’m not a religous person.

Anonymous

That guy will continue to shop at Home Depot. If he is that anti homosexual, odds are, he’s going through some serious denial/rage issues. Due to the fact that he is judging and being intolerant, he is more in league with lucifer than Home Depot is and definitely not a Christian. I still say that he is in denial of his own sexuality with a fancy for young ones and is in complete denial of who he is. Look how many anti gay nut jobs have been exposed for these same perverted beliefs of a religous gospel (Ted Haggard, one of thousands of examples).

IL Denizen

Time for businesses to starts banning AFA & members from stepping into their stores.

Yaruki Zero

I’m increasingly of the opinion that when the likes of the AFA say “Satan” what they really mean is “reality.” Like, gays are in the clasp of reality, which is what has led them to try to be true to themselves and lead happy, productive lives without taking any heed of the crappier parts of an Iron Age holy book.

Anonymous

Hmmmmm….since when did God say it is okay to discriminate? Not sure what god the AFA is listening to, but my God tells me to love and accept everyone and leave the judgement to Him!!!Str

JonStewartMill

Time for businesses to starts banning AFA & members from stepping into their stores.

My mom always told me “two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Anonymous

But, three lefts do.

Vyld

Your mother was right, two wrongs don’t make a right. However there’s nothing wrong with kicking fanatics and fundamentalists to the curb and everything right about it. So basically a right fixes a wrong. Good.

caffiend

“2 wrongs don’t make it right, but it damn sure make us even” — Onyx

emmdeeaych

And so you got for three kinds of wrong?

arikol

“My mom always told me “two wrongs don’t make a right.”"

how right you are!

And +1 to home depot.

Anonymous

I’m going to go buy something I don’t need at Home Depot today.

Anonymous

If I won’t do business with bigots, does that make me bigot? I don’t think so – I’m reacting to a voluntarily selected set of beliefs, not a condition of birth.

IL Denizen

umm… did you REALLY think I was advocating that? It was hyperbole, making a point by overstating one’s point.

MollyNYC

Theoretically, progressive vs conservative opinions are views upon which reasonable people may differ.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been like that, at least in the US, for quite some time. Self-described conservatives hereabouts tend to be profoundly effed-up people; willfully ignorant, continually angry and utterly, totally, droolingly, slack-jawedly, overwhelmingly obsessed with sex (the latter usually euphemized as concern with “values” or “family”). It’s like 20-30% of the country is having a psychotic break.

Anyway, the American Family Association is among the worst of these. Every time they make some public statement (usually through a fellow named Bryan Fischer), the normal reaction is not to be persuaded, but rather to think “Gosh, that poor man needs a good therapist,” or alternatively, “What an @-hole [or closet case]!” If you want to see the leading edge of organized crazy, you need look no further than the AFA.

In view of how famously batty these people are, it would have looked bad for Mr. Blake to do anything but tell them to p|ss off.

Gulliver

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been like that, at least in the US, for quite some time. Self-described conservatives hereabouts tend to be profoundly effed-up people; willfully ignorant, continually angry and utterly, totally, droolingly, slack-jawedly, overwhelmingly obsessed with sex (the latter usually euphemized as concern with “values” or “family”). It’s like 20-30% of the country is having a psychotic break.

That has not been my experience. I have met any number of conservatives who, although I often vehemently disagree with them on many political issues, are more nuanced than your description. Very few people, in personal experience, actually accept the supposedly monolithic dogma of any particular political ideology lock, stock and barrel. The same is true of many progressives I know. The problem, as I see it, is the siege mentality that grips people into banding together with others, with whom they may not necessarily see eye-to-eye, on the premise that the Other is a mental diseases.

Or, in the more succinct words of Chris Rock, â€œEveryone wants to be in a gang.â€

Anyway, the American Family Association is among the worst of these. Every time they make some public statement (usually through a fellow named Bryan Fischer), the normal reaction is not to be persuaded, but rather to think “Gosh, that poor man needs a good therapist,” or alternatively, “What an @-hole [or closet case]!” If you want to see the leading edge of organized crazy, you need look no further than the AFA.

The AFA are grade-A USDA choice assholes, but it would be a mistake, IMHO, to mistake asininity to psychosis.

quori

Does anyone else find it disturbing that every time we see someone spouting off how gays are going to burn in hell for being sinful evil people in the eyes of the Lordâ€¦are seemingly always OLD WHITE MEN?!?

Hereâ€™s the things that disturb me specifically.

1) How exactly do you know what is in Godâ€™s eyes/heart?
2) I am a Christian too, so I share that basis in common with them
3) I am a white male age 38â€¦so one day will be an old white male too

Like is there some dementia that hits them that they suddenly canâ€™t be tolerant of anyone or anything anymore?! Seriouslyâ€¦WTF is wrong with these asshats?!?

We have a gay pride month here at my company, we had an asian-pacific-american pride month, black history month, womenâ€™s celebration monthâ€¦.now I jokingly did ask: When is heterosexual white male month â€“ I am feeling left out. I was of course joking, and it was received as such by everyone. But seriouslyâ€¦I donâ€™t care. People can celebrate and support whatever â€œlegalâ€ group, cause, or action that is out there. Makes no diff to me.

Is it really that hard to be tolerant?

EvilSpirit

Does anyone else find it disturbing that every time we see someone spouting off how gays are going to burn in hell for being sinful evil people in the eyes of the Lordâ€¦are seemingly always OLD WHITE MEN?!?

No, not really disturbing; it makes me optimistic that they’ll die off in my lifetime.

quori

but I’m going to be an old white guy one day….what if its some brain disease that changes you into this?!? I don’t want to be a small minded idiot dammit!!!

:)

TheEvilJeremy

While it’s great to hear all of these people vowing to support HD because of their admirable stance on this issue, I wonder how many of them are driving by small, independently owned hardware stores that are also not run by bigots. Next time I have the choice between Home Depot and Lowe’s, I’ll keep this in mind, but I’m still going to see if Damien’s Hardware (since 1957!) has what I need first.