In the wake of a torrent of negative
publicity stemming from Ford’s decision to pull advertising from gay-targeted publications earlier this week, the
automaker has agreed to extend an olive branch. By agreeing to meet with officials from leading national gay
organizations this Monday, the automaker is undoubtedly hoping to assuage critics who savaged their decision to pull
Land Rover and Jaguar marketing with LGBT publications.
For its part, Ford maintains that the decision to pull ad dollars was wholly unrelated to their recent meeting
in Dearborn with the conservative American Family Association group. If nothing else, the move
was stupendously ill-timed in view of the AFA’s post-meeting ‘victory’ announcement, which scuttled talk of
a proposed boycott.
The announcement came from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which is calling for Ford to recant any
agreement between it and the AFA.