The American Family Association (AFA) is a conservative and Christian fundamentalist 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States."Put On The Virtual Armor." AFA Journal. May 2001. Retrieved on September 15, 2007."CyberPatrol Blocks Conservative Christian Site over Anti-Gay Content ." American Library Association. June 1998. Retrieved on September 15, 2007. It opposes LGBTQ rights and expression, pornography, and abortion.Who is AFA? . American Family Association. Retrieved on June 17, 2007. It also takes a position on a variety of other public policy goals. It was founded in 1977 by Donald Wildmon as the National Federation for Decency and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Part of the religious right, the AFA defined itself as "a Christian organization promoting the biblical ethic of decency in American society with primary emphasis on television and other media," later switching their stated emphasis to "moral issues that impact the family." It engages in activism efforts, including boycotts, buycotts, action alert emails, publications on the AFA's web sites or in the AFA Journal, broadcasts on American Family Radio, and lobbying."'American Family Association' Attacks Ford's Family-Friendly Policies After Failed Disney Boycott ." GLADD. June 1, 2005. Retrieved on June 17, 2007. The organization is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and posted a 2011 budget of over $16 million.ECFA budget report- Retrieved September 25, 2012 AFA owns 200 American Family Radio stations in 33 states, seven affiliate stations in seven states, and one affiliate TV station (KAZQ) in New Mexico.AFR radio and TV stations - Retrieved September 25, 2012Peter H Stone, Bara Vaida, "Christian Soldiers" National Journal. Washington, December 4, 2004. Volume 36, Issue 49, pg. 3596
AFA has been listed as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) since November 2010 for the "propagation of known falsehoods" and the use of "demonizing propaganda" against LGBTQ people.
Operations Reverend Donald Wildmon served as chairman of AFA until he announced his retirement on March 3, 2010. His son, Tim, is president of AFA. AFA is governed by an independent board of directors. AFA Journal is a monthly publication with a circulation of 180,000 containing news, features, columns, and interviews. In addition to the publication, AFA Journal articles are made available online. The journal reviews the content of prime-time television shows, categorizing them based on profanity, sex, violence, homosexuality, substance abuse, "anti-Christian" content, or "political correctness". The categorization is accompanied by short descriptions of the content of the episode under review. The review also lists the advertisers of each show and invites readers to contact the advertisers or television networks to express concern over program content.
American Family Radio (AFR) is a network of approximately 200 AFA-owned radio stations broadcasting Christian-oriented programming.
OneNewsNow.com (formerly AgapePress), the AFA news division, provides online audio newscasts and a daily digest of news articles, Associated Press stories, and opinion columns."News Operations Merge to Create OneNewsNow.com " AFA Media. February 23, 2007. Retrieved on June 25, 2007
Center for Law and Policy, the legal and political arm of the AFA, was shut down in 2007. It specialized in First Amendment cases. The Center for Law and Policy lobbied legislative bodies, drafted legislation, and filed religious-discrimination lawsuits on behalf of individuals. Chief among its efforts were attempts to promote the recognition of Christmas in seasonal print advertisements; the criminalization of homosexuality,The AFA filed an amicus curiae brief in Lawrence vs Texas, arguing against repeal: Lawrence v. Texas – 539 U.S. 558 (2003)Vanderkam, Laura R. "Internet filter blocks anti-gay Web sites". The Washington Times (August 5, 1998) . censorship of television programming,Boston, Rob. "The Religious Right and American Freedom". Church & State. June 2006 Retrieved on February 7, 2008. and opposition to same-sex marriage as well as equal-rights and hate-crime legislation that would include sexual orientation and gender identity among the protected categories.Homosexuality AFA website guide to homosexuality AFA opposition to S.1105, an act which would strengthen hate-crime legislation AFA legal action websiteAFA opposition to HR3685, an act which would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation AFA legal action website
Campaigns and issues The AFA has a history of activism by organizing its members in boycotts and letter-writing campaigns aimed at promoting socially conservative values in the United States. The AFA has promoted boycotts of television shows, movies, and businesses that the group considers to have promoted indecency, obscenity, or homosexuality. In addition to promoting activism via mail to AFA members, 3.4 million subscribers receive AFA "Action Alerts" via email.
Boycotts The AFA has boycotted companies for various reasons, most often relating to Christmas-related controversies, pornography, support of pro-choice activism, support of violent or sexual content in entertainment, and support of LGBTQ rights, including same-sex partner employee benefits. These organizations include: 7-Eleven, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Airlines, American Girl, Blockbuster Video, Burger King, Calvin Klein, Carl's Jr., Chobani, Clorox, Comcast, Crest, Ford Motor Company, Hallmark Cards, Hardee's, Kmart, Kraft Foods, S. C. Johnson & Son, Movie Gallery, Microsoft, MTV, Paramount Pictures, Time Warner, Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, Mary Kay Cosmetics, NutriSystem, Old Navy, IKEA, Sears, Procter & Gamble, Target Corporation, Walt Disney Company, and PepsiCo.
In 1986, 7-Eleven stopped selling Playboy and Penthouse magazines after a two-year boycott by the AFA. In 1989, the AFA boycotted Waldenbooks in an attempt to persuade the company to stop selling those same magazines. Waldenbooks responded with an advertisement campaign against censorship, asserting First Amendment rights. Waldenbooks, the American Booksellers Association, the Council for Periodical Distributors Association, the International Periodical Distributors Association, and Duval Bibb Services launched a lawsuit against the AFA in October 1989, under the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and the Florida State RICO Acts, which protect an organization's right to conduct business without harassment or threats.Cohen, Roger. "With Boycott and Ads, A Battle Over Selling". The New York Times. April 23, 1990. Retrieved on September 29, 2007. The case was settled by the parties without a court ruling.
AFA boycotted PepsiCo in 1989 for supporting Madonna, whose video for "Like a Prayer" Wildmon felt was sacrilegious.
During the summer of 1993 the AFA purchased full-page ads in The New York Times, USA Today, and Los Angeles Times denouncing the sexual and violent content of the upcoming ABC police drama NYPD Blue. It also urged ABC affiliates not to broadcast the program and citizens to boycott sponsors of Blue. About a quarter of the 225 existing ABC stations followed suit; however, these affiliates were mostly located in rural areas of the US. The AFA campaign increased hype for the show in larger American media markets, and Blue became one of the most popular shows of the 1993–1994 television season. In 1996, the AFA launched a boycott against Walt Disney Company when the company began giving benefits to same-sex employees in domestic partnerships. The AFA has claimed that Michael Eisner, the CEO of The Disney Company, "was involved in a media group that actively promoted the homosexual agenda" and was pushing the "gay agenda". The AFA ended the boycott in the spring of 2005, following Eisner's departure from the company.Johnson, Alex"Christian group suspends Ford boycott". NBC News June 6, 2005. Retrieved on June 24, 2007"Conservative group ends 9-year Disney boycott". Associated Press (Published on NBC News). May 24, 2005. Retrieved on September 29, 2007. Tim Wildmon stated, "We feel after nine years of boycotting Disney we have made our point."AFA ends Disney boycott it launched in mid-1990s , Dwayne Hastings, Baptist Press, May 24, 2005. Retrieved on November 22, 2010
In January 2002, the restaurant chain Taco Bell held a month-long promotion in which four Cardcaptor Sakura toys were available in their kids' meals, expecting to distribute up to 7 million of the toys during the month. The AFA complained about the promotion, saying the Clow Cards being offered were similar to tarot cards and the series they were derived from was akin to Eastern mythology. However, the organization's complaints began on the day before the promotion's scheduled end date.
In 2003, the AFA, with the American Decency Association, Focus on the Family, and Citizens for Community Values, lobbied and boycotted Abercrombie & Fitch, calling on "A&F to stop using blatant pornography in its quarterly catalog".Pugh, Rusty and Parker, Jenni. Decency Advocates Claim Victory as A&F Pulls Explicit Catalog, Ceases Publication. AFA Journal. December 10, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-06-16. (archived link) In December 2003, the company "recalled the holiday catalog from all its stores, saying it needed the space on the counter for a new perfume" and stated it would stop printing catalogs and start a new campaign.
In 2005, the AFA boycotted the company American Girl, seller of dolls and accessories, over their support of the charity Girls, Inc., which the AFA called "a pro-abortion, pro-lesbian advocacy group"."Conservatives protest popular doll-maker". Associated Press (Published on USA Today). October 15, 2005. Retrieved on October 1, 2007.
In Spring 2005, the AFA launched a boycott of Ford Motor Company for advertising in gay magazines, donating to gay rights organizations, and sponsoring gay pride celebrations."Ford Drops Ads in Gay-Oriented Magazines". NPR. December 6, 2005. Retrieved on October 1, 2007.Johnson, Alex. "Another swing of the pocketbook: Christian activist groupgoes after Ford Motor Co.". NBC News. June 1, 2005 After meeting with representatives of the group, Ford announced it was curtailing ads in a number of major gay-themed publications, due not to cultural but to "cost-cutting" factors. That statement was contradicted by the AFA, which claimed it had a "good faith agreement" that Ford would cease such ads. Soon afterwards, as a result of a strong outcry from the gay community, Ford backtracked and announced it would continue ads in gay publications, in response to which the AFA denounced Ford for "violating" the agreement, and renewed threats of a boycott. The boycott ended in March 2008.Hate Groups End Ford Boycott, Joe Benton, Consumer Affairs, March 11, 2008. Retrieved on November 22, 2010
On Independence Day 2008, the AFA announced a boycott of McDonald's, which had a director on the board of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. In October 2008, AFA announced the end of its boycott, following McDonald's declaration to be "neutral on same-sex marriage or any 'homosexual agenda' as defined by the American Family Association" in a memo to franchisees.
In December 2008, the AFA issued an "Action Alert"Campbell Soup Company embraces homosexual agenda AFA website, retrieved on December 30, 2008 which called for members to protest the Campbell's, which had purchased two two-page advertisements in the December 2008 and January 2009 issues of the LGBTQ magazine The Advocate. Donald Wildmon said that the ads, which showed a lesbian couple with their son, "sent a message that homosexual parents constitute a family and are worthy of support".