The conservative American Family Association (AFA) has ended a two-year boycott of Ford Motor Co., supposedly because the company has stopped donating to groups the AFA considers to be gay and lesbian organizations.
Ford responded that any decrease in charitable contributions by the company was due to financial losses which Ford recently reported as more than $15 billion in the past two years..
The Mississippi-based AFA said in a statement that Ford has "met AFA conditions," which included no donations to gay and lesbian organizations as well as ending advertising in gay and lesbian publications.
The AFA began the Ford boycott in 2005 also demanding that Ford not renew promotions or create future incentives that gave cash donations to gay and lesbian groups based on the purchase of a vehicle.
AFA insisted that Ford not engage in political or social campaigns promoting civil unions or same-sex marriage.
Ford executives said in a statement that nothing has changed and the automaker remains committed to treating everyone fairly.
According to the Corporate Equality Index published by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which advocates gay and lesbian rights, Ford received a top ranking in 2007, for the fourth year in a row.
The automaker received 100 per cent on the basis of its treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors, according to the HRC Web site.
Nevertheless, AFA founder Don Wildmon said the boycott was a major factor in convincing Ford to stop significant support for gay and lesbian groups.
"During the time the boycott was going on, Ford averaged a drop of 8 percent in sales each month," said Wildmon. "Was the boycott entirely responsible for that? No, but it did play a significant role."
Wildmon claimed 780,365 people joined in the anti-gay boycott against Ford.
Ford is not the first company to come under fire for its stance on homosexual rights. AFA Chairman Donald Wildmon, a United Methodist minister, has instigated or threatened dozens of boycotts against corporations since 1978.
Other corporations including Microsoft Corp. and Walt Disney Co. have found themselves facing demands from groups on both sides of the culture wars.
