J.C. Penney has chosen not to let go of DeGeneres as its spokeswoman despite demand from a conservative group, One Million Moms, to replace the comedienne with someone not openly gay.
- February 4, 2012
AceShowbiz -
J.C. Penney has responded to One Million Moms (OMM)' campaign against the hiring of Ellen DeGeneres as its spokeswoman. A spokeswoman for the retail giant said in a statement released Friday, February 3 that it "stands behind its partnership" with the openly-gay comedienne, gaining applaud from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
GLAAD spokesman Herndon Graddick said in a statement, "This week Americans spoke out in overwhelming support of LGBT people and J.C. Penney's decision not to fire Ellen simply for who she happens to love." Since it launched its Stand Up For Ellen campaign in response to OMM's demand that Penney should fire DeGeneres, the anti-defamation organization has received more than 26,000 signatures.
"But while Ellen has the nation on her side, in 29 states today, Americans can still be legally fired just for being gay," Graddick continued to point out. "Our elected officials should use this incident as yet another example of the support for legal protections for all hard working employees."
OMM, a division of the American Family Association, previously slammed Penney for not being "neutral in the culture war" by hiring DeGeneres. The organization wrote on its site, "Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families. More sales will be lost than gained unless they replace their spokesperson quickly."
