Office Depot has partnered with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to offer a line of products with anti-bullying messages like “Be Brave,” “Be Accepting,” and “Be Yourself.” Boasting, “We supply bravery,” Office Depot will donate proceeds from the gift cards, bracelets, pens, and post-it notes back to the foundation. Claiming the paper supply store is “pushing the homosexual agenda in public schools,” the anti-gay American Family Association is calling on Office Depot to “leave our kids alone“:

Office Depot is guaranteeing $1 million to help indoctrinate your children that they are born “gay.”

This week, Office Depot announced it is teaming up with recording artist Lady Gaga to push the homosexual agenda in public schools by encouraging our children to believe “gay” people are “Born This Way.” [...]

The truth is, there is zero credible evidence that people are born “gay.” Homosexuality is a poor and dangerous choice, and has been proven to lead to a litany of health hazards to not only the individuals but also society as a whole.

Office Depot is attempting to attract children to it by the deceiving title “Empowering Youth”. That is horribly irresponsible and will ultimately lead children to a higher chance of becoming victims to alcohol and drug abuse, depression and even suicide.

AFA’s blatant fear-mongering employs its regular conflation of “being gay” and “being stigmatized for being gay.” The reason that LGBT young people face higher rates of depression and drug abuse has repeatedly been shown to be because of family rejection, bullying, and unwelcoming conservative attitudes. By spreading such dangerous untruths about the inherent unchangeable quality of sexual orientations, AFA is reinforcing the very harms against children it claims to care about.

Just a month ago, the National Organization for Marriage was calling for “corporate neutrality,” arguing that companies like Starbucks and General Mills — both of which it has unsuccessfully tried to “dump” — should just stay quiet on the issue of marriage equality. But to defend Chick-fil-A, NOM has already abandoned this talking point and is now wholeheartedly supporting the company for its wrathful-God condemnation of marriage equality activists, casually ignoring the company’s unlikely promise to “leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”

Now, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) — who just reminded the world he believes all gay people sexually abuse children — has called for “Chick Fil-A [sic] Appreciation Day,” asking conservatives to turnout on Wednesday, August 1 to eat at the chain to counter the “vitriolic assaults” president and COO Dan Cathy has experienced since his own vitriolic assault. Despite getting the date wrong, NOM is proud to stand with Huckabee and Cathy for “strengthening marriage and family”:

HUCKABEE: I have been incensed at the vitriolic assaults on the Chick Fil-Acompany because the CEO [sic], Dan Cathy, made comments recently in which he affirmed his view that the Biblical view of marriage should be upheld. The Cathy family, let by Chick Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, are a wonderful Christian family who are committed to operating the company with Biblical principles and whose story is the true American success story… I ask you to join me in speaking out on Wednesday, August 1 “Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day.” No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate. The goal is simple: Let’s affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1.

NOM: Imagine if folks all across the country united together in support of heroes like Dan and Truett Cathy that stand for strengthening marriage and family! Imagine the potential impact of the message that companies favoring the radical redefinition of marriage risk fallout with their customers—combined with the message that heroes who stand for marriage and family cannot be silenced! Imagine how clearly that message would be heard across the nation if Chick-fil-A reported record sales this Wednesday!

NOM has long claimed that its concern is not with gay people, but with “defending marriage.” Unfortunately, partnering with someone who demonizes gay people to defend a corporate executive who demonizes gay people has everything to do with animus and nothing to do with protecting society. On August 3rd, two days after Huckabee’s “appreciation” day, there will be a nationwide same-sex kiss-in at Chick-fil-A, which might be the only remaining reason the LGBT community and its allies have to justify visiting the wickedly anti-gay restaurant.

America’s top men’s professional soccer league has ended its short-lived partnership with the Boy Scouts of America. Major League Soccer did not provide a specific reason for ending its partnership with the organization, but its official announcement that it would not renew the deal after it expired later this year came just two days after the Boy Scouts’ “secret committee” completed a two-year review of its policy that excludes “open or avowed homosexuals” from membership.

The partnership began in January and was meant to “provide opportunities for Scouts to interact with MLS stars, attend games on reduced-price tickets and be recognized during games for notable achievements such as earning the Eagle Scout designation,” the Dallas Morning News reported Friday.

As OutSports noted, the Boy Scouts’ anti-gay policy was in effect when MLS first struck the deal with the organization, but since the beginning of the season, multiple teams have held “equality nights” or formed partnerships with LGBT advocacy groups. And though the MLS agreement will soon come to an end, partnerships with the Boy Scouts are still common in America’s professional sports. The National Hockey League, whose players have appeared in anti-discrimination public service campaigns, has a partnership with the organization, and Major League Baseball teams often hold “Scouts Nights” that offer discount tickets and other promotions to members of BSA.

One Million Moms has announced its latest protest: NBC’s The New Normal, a sitcom about a committed gay couple who hire a surrogate so they can have a child. The show doesn’t even premiere until September, but the hate group thinks it’s “harmful” enough that the show will have gay content at all [emphasis is original]:

NBC is using public airwaves to continue to subject families to the decay of morals and values, and the sanctity of marriage in attempting to redefine marriage. These things are harmful to our society, and this program is damaging to our culture. [...]

Millions of Americans strongly believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman. NBC’s “The New Normal” is attempting to desensitize America and our children. It is the opposite of how families are designed and created. You cannot recreate the biological wheel.

One Millions Moms exists only as a symbolic PR tool. It is not itself a real organization — having no names or faces to represent it — but is merely a subsidiary of the American Family Association, a hate group run almost entirely by men. It’s in doubt if there is even one mom affiliated, let alone one million, judging from the fact the effort’s Facebook page has less than 5 percent of that goal. But conservatives know that moms are a movable voter base when they feel their children are threatened, so AFA uses the front of “One Million Moms” to attempt to scare individuals with the myths that the mere existence of gay people somehow harms children.

And that’s the complete story here. The New Normal hopefully will desensitize children and families from the grossly unwarranted stigma against same-sex couples and their families. Schools and communities will be safer, more welcoming places as a result.

Watch the show’s heartfelt trailer to see just how “damaging” it will be:

Gonzo doesn’t have to worry about Camilla and his other chickens anymore, because the Muppets are officially going to be eating less chicken. In a Facebook note posted Friday evening, The Jim Henson Company, which currently offers toys in Chick-fil-A kids’ meals, announced that will no longer partner with the fast food chain on any future endeavors because of its anti-gay policies:

The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors.  Lisa Henson, our CEO is personally a strong supporter of gay marriage and has directed us to donate the payment we received from Chick-Fil-A to GLAAD.  (http://www.glaad.org/)

It should come as no surprise that the Henson Company has taken this position, because the Muppets have long supported diversity in all its forms. Notably, Kermit and Miss Piggy’s interspecies relationship has always been a compelling allegory for non-traditional unions, like same-sex couples, and last year, Kermit even admitted that he had to “come out” as a mammal lover. If a group of entertainers as warm and inviting as the Muppets don’t want to affiliate with a company, that’s a very large indicator that its policies aren’t good for society.