East Side Pride is organizing a JC Penney “buy-cott” to show support for the retailer’s decision to stand by new spokesperson Ellen DeGeneres.
Today, East Side Pride will meet at the Northlake Mall JC Penney from 3-6 p.m. to “shop until you drop” to support the retailer.
An anti-gay group called One Million Moms created a campaign to have DeGeneres fired from her new role and threatened to boycott the retailer until DeGeneres was gone. JC Penney stood by DeGeneres.
The organization claims to be an advocacy group for Christian mothers. From its website:
Our goal is to stop the exploitation of our children, especially by the entertainment media (TV, music, movies, etc.). Mom, OneMillionMoms.com is the most powerful tool you have to stand against the immorality, violence, vulgarity and profanity the entertainment media is throwing at your children. It is time to fight back!
The campaign has been anything but successful for One Million Moms. JC Penney’s CEO, Ron Johnson, said on CBS’s This Morning that DeGeneres is the perfect spokesperson for the century-old retailer.
“We don’t look at it like a controversy,” Johnson said. “Our company was founded 110 years ago on The Golden Rule, which is about treating people fair and square, just like you would like to be treated yourself. And we think Ellen represents the values of our company and the values that we share.”
DeGeneres poked fun at One Million Moms on her show yesterday and thanked JC Penney for its support in a video that’s since gone über-viral.
Top photo: Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres (via Facebook)