Before it received national attention for its pressure campaign against TLC’s All-American Muslim, in April the Florida Family Association launched a pressure campaign against advertisers on the TeenNick show Degrassi because of the show’s “irresponsible affirmation of a transgender lifestyle” and negative portrayal of “ex-gay” reparative therapy. The FFA was also outraged that Degrassi ran PSAs for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and The Trevor Project, an anti-suicide group that focuses on at-risk LGBT youth.
In an interview today with the American Family Association’s OneNewsNow, FFA president David Caton claimed credit for convincing Macy's and Target to stop advertising on Degrassi and said that the group is redoubling its efforts to pressure other advertisers as a result of the show’s supposed promotion of “immoral behavior”:
In response to pressure from concerned parents, more sponsors are withdrawing their support from a pro-homosexual cable television show for teens.
Because the work of the Florida Family Association (FFA), Macy's and Target have stopped advertising on Degrassi (see earlier story). David Caton explains why MTV's Teen Nick show is not appropriate for kids and why his organization is urging businesses to pull their sponsorship from the program.
"It has content that is very extraordinarily explicit towards transgender and homosexual lifestyles," he details. "It often has promotions on there that direct teens to organizations that will encourage them to embrace and accept the transgender or homosexual lifestyle," particularly TheTrevorHelpline.org -- a website that describes itself as "a free and confidential service that's open for gay and questioning youth," and claims to be "saving lives" by encouraging confused kids to "be proud of who you are."
His organization is currently targeting Mars and Wrigley, both owned by the same company, as they continue to run Orbit gum, Skittles, Snickers, Starburst, and Twix commercials during the show.
"We're challenging Mars-Wrigley to stop advertising and stop supporting this kind of content that is aimed at an immoral behavior that children would embrace," reports Caton.
