SwimFinsSF

Ford does the right thing.

After a lot of drama, word of mouth, and conjecture it looks, based on an article in 365Gay.COM, like Ford Motor company has stepped up and issued a statement indicating that they will continue to advertise in the gay press.

Gay Ads Back On Track For Ford
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

(Washington) Ford Motor Company on Wednesday agreed to almost all demands from LGBT groups following a hastily organized meeting earlier this week with the company over a claim by the American Family Association that the company had made a pact with it to end support of the LGBT community.

The only place where they hedged, according to the article, seemed understandible to me – business conditions often dictate that they can’t always continue to support all the same events and causes from year to year.

Once again, people are stepping up and doing the right thing. (The lure of the GLTB’s $610 billion a year buying power definitely doesn’t hurt i’m sure! :):))

So I have to stand up and thank Ford for its statement! :)… Thanks a lot – and in return Kevin’s all giddy to go car shopping!

Bad Morals in the Press

I just read this article on 365gay.COM today and it irritated the SHIT out of me:

Suit Seeks Publication Of Names, Pictures Of Mayor’s Gay Chat Buddies

by The Associated Press

(Spokane, Washington) The Spokesman-Review newspaper is asking a judge to rethink his decision not to allow the release of photographs — from a gay Web site — found on the city-owned laptop computer of recalled Mayor James E. West.

…

What possible valid reason could have for needing the names and pictures of the people this Mayor was talking to? While the people who have profiles on Gay.COM surely don’t expect absolute privacy when posting a profile to a site like this, i’m sure many weren’t aware they were talking to a public figure and regardless none would have expected to be part of the public record…

Smacks of a witch hunt to me… ‘Are you or are anyone you know now, or have ever been, a member of the homosexual party’….

*groan*

Three great movies

This weekend was a weekend full of movies… Friday night was Brokeback Mountain… Oh my GOD… SUCH A good movie – I REALLY Enjoyed it. Not a feel good movie but really well done. The story was fantastic, the cinematography was stunning, and Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal did an exceptional job. Both of those guys did an AMAZING job portraying a couple who is truely in love and all of the awful things that came along with it for them. I can’t say that I’d recommend that everyone see it – it isn’t necessarily for the hard core ‘phobes. But to anyone else that doesn’t go in with their own agenda will walk away really getting how much these two loved each other and how hard it is to live in a world that can’t accept that… Uggggg… SO GOOD..

Then Saturday night Jamie and I went and saw Wild at Heart with Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern (among MANY others)… This was a David Lynch movie in all its glory… REALLY Fucked up story of a paroled ‘manslaughterer’ (Nicholas Cage) who breaks parole and drives across country with his girlfriend (Laura Dern), having sex at every opportunity, and avoiding the hit man her mom (Diane Ladd) sends after them… It is just twisted but really good..

Then tonight we went to see The Chronicles of Narnia. This was a book that I read MANY times when I was a kid so I was dying to see it – as a result I drug Kevin to see it after a LONG day of shopping. We were really exhausted so I wasn’t sure if I’d make it – but I did and I’m so glad I did.. There have been a couple of film versions of this prior to this one which all REALLY sucked.. But this one was actually really good – I really liked it.. The talking animals were a little distracting but I wrote that off to just not being used to animals talking. But they really couldn’t have done it without them (thats the whole moive)… Over all it was a fantastic movie..

But the winner for the weekend is definitely Brokeback Mountain.. That one is gonna win awards!.. 🙂

Life’s Rough

12-11-05_1402.jpg

Originally uploaded by SwimFinsSF.

Just had to share… I helped kevin move some shit for work today and sat down at his desk while he was finished up… Looked to my right and this is what I saw… This is the view from his desk. CRAZY.. Apple needs to move to the city.. jeesh.. 🙂

SO EXCITED

There are two movies coming out this weekend that I can’t WAIT to see… And, according to metacritic, they both are gonna be GREAT.. I was totally torn as to which one to see first but the big homo in me won out over the big kid in me… So Friday night its this:

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Wells Fargo and Colorado

So it seems that Focus on the Family has chosen to pull its money out of Wells Fargo accounts due to the bank’s support of Gay & Lesbian civil rights organizations such as GLAAD. Wells Fargo’s response in the San Francisco Chronicle article underscores why i’m going to continue to support Wells Fargo and other businesses like it:

…

A Wells Fargo spokesman said the $50,000 donation to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation came from profits on accounts in the San Francisco area, not Colorado, where Focus on the Family has its headquarters.

“We absolutely made a $50,000 grant to GLAAD, and we’re absolutely proud of our support for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community,” said Chris Hammond, spokesman for the banking giant, which gives about $2 million a year to gay and lesbian organizations.

There is a special place in hell for organizations like FOTF that attack companies for encouraging protection of civil rights for all Americans…

Ford Motor Company, on the other hand, has taken another tact according to this Forbes.com article.

An auto ad campaign has been put in reverse. Ford Motor said Tuesday that its luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands are ending their advertising in gay publications. Its Volvo brand will continue its ad buys, however; the company’s Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands have not advertised in gay media.

The automaker, headed by Bill Ford Jr., denied that the ad switch had been made under pressure from conservative Christian groups. “The decision with regard to advertising was a business decision,” a spokesman told The Associated Press. Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, which includes the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, posted a pretax loss of $108 million for the third quarter. Ford (nyse: F – news – people ) declined to say how much it had spent on advertising in gay publications.

Last week, a conservative Christian group ended a plan to boycott Ford vehicles. The American Family Association had criticized Ford for being too gay-friendly. “We are ending the boycott of Ford,” AFA Chairman Donald Wildmon said in a statement last week. “While we still have a few differences with Ford, we feel that our concerns are being addressed in good faith and will continue to be addressed in the future.” In May, the AFA ended a largely ineffective nine-year boycott of The Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS – news – people ), launched over its decision to give same-sex couples benefits and to hold gay-related events at its theme parks.

And if you believe the ‘business decision part’… 🙂

Wells can count on plenty more business from me as long as they have the balls to do the right thing! :):).. Ford on the other hand… :):)

Happy Tuesday..

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