What with all the hoopla surrounding the American Family Association and its relationship and/or influence on the
Blue Oval, Ford Motor Company released a short statement today saying that its commitment to diversity as an employer
and corporate citizen remain unchanged and that its advertising decisions are driven strictly by a business case,
including Volvo, which has decided to market directly to the gay and lesbian community.
It’s certainly true that Ford is on the forefront when it comes to inclusion of minority groups. A quick scan of the
career section of Ford’s website turned up this
statement of company policy: “Opportunities for employment and advancement will be available on a
non-discriminatory basis—without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin,
handicap, or veteran status.” (Their italics, not ours). Also, one of the company-sponsored Employee Resource
Groups at Ford is Ford-GLOBE (Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual
Employees), which actively champions diversity education, recruiting and marketing from within the company.
[Source – Ford]