Now that Ford has told the New York Times, CNN, AP, Reuters, the Washington Post and every other media outlet that it in no way caved to pressure from the religious right, it's time to start naming names.
Here are the two Ford spokesmen who confirmed over the past 3 days that in fact Ford caved to pressure from the extremist ant-gay hate group:
1. Ford spokesman Mike Moran
Ford spokesman Mike Moran confirmed that Ford pulled its gay ads as a direct result of the meetings Ford had with the gay-hating extremist group American Family Association (AFA). Moran confirmed this to Sean Bugg, a well-known DC-based gay journalist, and editor of the popular DC gay publication, Metro Weekly. I have known Sean for years, and he is 100% credible.
From MetroWeekly:
Ford spokesman Mike Moran said that the automotive giant -- one of the ''Big Three'' American automakers, along with General Motors and Daimler-Chrysler -- was ''pleased that the AFA has decided to end its boycott.''2. Ford spokesman Jim Cain confirms "formal settlement" with AFA
''Some months ago we began a constructive dialogue with them, just as we do with other customers and interest groups,'' Moran said. ''While we don't agree on all issues, we expect the dialogue to continue so that we understand each other better.''
Asked about the initial report that Ford would be curtailing advertising with the gay press, Moran told Metro Weekly on Dec. 1 that Land Rover and Jaguar would not be advertising in gay publications in 2006, while Volvo would continue its advertising in such venues as Advocate, Genre and Out because the brand believes ''it's an effective way to market their vehicles.''
When asked if the advertising was being discontinued because of the threatened AFA boycott, Moran said, ''Ceasing advertising is an outgrowth of those meetings.''
After we posted online the contact information for Jim Cain, a lead Ford spokesman, Ethan Geto, a longtime NY gay activist and former head of Howard Dean's NY presidential campaign, called Cain on December 4, 2005. Here is Geto's report to me of what transpired in that call:
I called every name on the list I forwarded to you, and actually reached one guy on his cell phone, Jim Cain of Ford pr. We had a lengthy and civil, if tense, discussion. He clearly confirmed that Ford was pulling ads from "advocacy publications," which seems to cover every gay magazine and newspaper in the country since they "advocate" a "gay rights agenda." Cain said that this all started due to Ford ads in Europe, which apparently include some gay people/couples in a positive way.3. Ford spokesman Mike Moran confirms AFA's claim that Ford responded to pressure from AFA
But he did confirm that Ford had indeed reached a formal settlement with AFA, and this specifically includes withdrawing advertising for certain Ford vehicles from LGBT publications/media. He tried to wiggle out of it by saying that (a) Ford had a good track record re the LGBT community, and (b) Jaguar and other divisions are "almost like separate companies."?
"They've heard our concerns; they are acting on our concerns. We are pleased with where we are," said Donald Wildmon, AFA's chairman, in a statement....So two top Ford spokesman Mike Moran and Jim Cain have confirmed that the company caved to religious right pressure. Now Cain and Moran are denying the very thing that they told to three different people.
When first contacted, Ford spokesman Moran referred Advocate.com to the AFA statement, suggesting that the company had no disagreement with Wildmon's assertions.
Ford, it's time to stop lying. You've been caught.
And note to the mainstream press that's been covering this story. Cain and Moran lied to you. It's time for a follow-up story, especially now that we know Ford has also agreed to pull its support for gay and lesbian events.
PS Special note to Ford's gay and lesbian employee group. You now know they lied to you too. What are you going to do about it?
