Ford Motor Company has reaffirmed its commitment to inclusivity, same-sex benefits, and outreach to the lesbian and gay community, and has promised to advertise for all eight of its vehicle brands in LGBT-targeted publications. The announcement comes after a controversy in which the conservative American Family Association (AFA) dropped its planned boycott of Ford after the car company pulled its Jaguar/Land Rover ads from gay publications,” according to Forbes. A coalition of LGBT advocacy groups issued a statement on December 5, asking Ford to reaffirm its commitment to the LGBT community and to meet with community representatives.
This meeting took place last Monday, and was followed by Ford’s statement of support for the LGBT community, and its denial of any deal with the AFA. According to Ford, the pulled ads were a “business decision about their media plans,” but “it is clear there is a misperception about our intent. As a result, we have decided to run corporate ads in these targeted publications that will include not only Jaguar/Land Rover but all eight of Ford’s vehicle brands.”
A statement from the LGBT coalition praised the result, saying “We welcome today’s statement from Ford Motor Company and commend their firm stance in support of inclusion. It is an unequivocal reaffirmation of Ford’s historic commitment to our community and the core American values of fairness and equality. Moreover, it is conclusive proof of what Ford leaders have repeatedly assured us Ñ that there never was any deal with anti-LGBT organizations concerning Ford’s support for our community.”
