Courage Campaign, Equality Matters and GLAAD call on Orbitz to Drop Fox.

May 16, 2011

by Andy Kelley

Today Courage Campaign joined with Media Matters and GLAAD to call on Orbitz to stop advertising on anti-gay Fox News. Orbitz prides itself on its pro LGBT stances and much of its business comes from direct advertising to the LGBT community, leading many advocates to question their relationship with Fox News. As the Huffington Post reports:

“Orbitz risks alienating gay and lesbian customers by giving ad dollars to Fox News, a network that blatantly promotes an anti-gay political agenda,” said Ilyse Hogue, Senior Adviser at Media Matters. “Orbitz customers who value equality can and will take their business elsewhere, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Any company whose customer base values the diversity, civil rights, and journalistic standards should recognize that doing business with Fox will only cost them in the long run.”

We at Courage Campaign could not agree more, which is why we have partnered with Equality Matters, the Media Matters DropFox campaign, and GLAAD to urge Orbitz to cut all ties with Fox News. You can read our full letter to Orbitz Worldwide CEO Barney Harford here.

You can also find the complete text of the email we sent to our members this morning copied below. We hope you will join us in calling on Orbitz to drop Fox today: http://www.couragecampaign.org/Orbitz

Dear Friend,

Here's how it works: You pay Orbitz to help plan your trip. Orbitz uses your money to advertise on Fox News. Fox News uses the money to pay hosts Bill O'Reilly and Mike Huckabee to tell millions of Americans of the "dangers" of allowing gay people near children, and compare homosexuality to drug abuse and incest.

Tired of paying for the homophobes' favorite microphone? So am I.

Join Courage Campaign and Media Matters to tell Orbitz: stop using pro-gay dollars to advertise on anti-gay Fox News!

It was O'Reilly who warned that marriage equality could lead to nuptials with goats. It was regular Fox News guest Ann Coulter who said "I don't think there's anything offensive about any variation of faggy, faggotry, faggot, fag." It was Fox News who did its best to destroy repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and who now is doing its best to keep the "Defense of Marriage Act" on the books. It was Fox News that led the smear campaign against Kevin Jennings, the man who started gay-straight alliances in schools and now serves as Obama's Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education.

Sign our petition. We'll deliver it to Orbitz personally.

Regular Fox News contributor and Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich said on Fox, "[T]here is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us." Rest assured Fox will be doing all it can to elect Gingrich and the rest of his friends to our nation's highest offices. The question is whether you'll be paying for it.

Thanks for all you do,

Adam Bink

Director of Online Programs, Courage Campaign

Filed under: Uncategorized

8 Comments Leave a Comment

  • 1. grod  |  May 16, 2011 at 6:21 am

    @Adam

    It determining where to focus some of the creative energies and growing reputation of the Courage Campaign, in my opinion, an initiative like this is indeed where some of that energy ought to be directed. Partnering with Equality Matters, GLAAD and others is also an effective tool in the pursuit to true equality, as was seen in CC's recent post on civil marriage equality in New York.

  • 2. Don in Texas  |  May 16, 2011 at 6:56 am

    @Adam:

    How did the shoulder surgery go? Hope you're feeling OK.

  • 3. LCH  |  May 16, 2011 at 7:23 am

    Welcome back Adam.

    ♀♀=♂♂=♀♂=∑♡

  • 4. DaveP  |  May 16, 2011 at 8:04 am

    Signed it. Hey Orbitz – I reeeeally don't like it when companies do this stuff. I watch for things like this and it greatly affects how I choose to spend my money. Just so you know.

  • 5. Adam Bink  |  May 16, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    hi all andy posted this not me (i sent the email to our members) bu thanks for comments i have had some setbacks but will be back to writing later this week. thanks dave and grod 4 feedback.

  • 6. Sagesse  |  May 16, 2011 at 8:03 pm

    Did NOM Steal Joe.My.God.’s Anti-Gay Marriage Rally Video? You Decide.

    http://www.prop8trialtracker.com/2011/05/16/courage-campaign-equality-matters-and-glaad-call-on-orbitz-to-drop-fox/#comment-237207

  • 7. Sagesse  |  May 16, 2011 at 8:13 pm

    Op-ed from the New York Daily News

    The civil union bait-and-switch: Compromise is far from true marriage equality

    BY Theodore Olson AND Eric Schneiderman

    Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/05/16/2011-05-16_the_civil_union_baitandswitch_compromise_is_far_from_true_marriage_equality.html#ixzz1MZl5bHbX

  • 8. Prop 8 Trial Tracker &raq&hellip  |  May 19, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    [...] other day Andy wrote about our joint campaign with Equality Matters, GLAAD, and Media Matters’ DropFox campaign to [...]

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