Walgreens attacked over Gay Games tie
Jen Christensen, PlanetOut Network
published Thursday, October 20, 2005
A conservative Christian group based in suburban Chicago has threatened to boycott the Walgreens chain of drugstores because it sponsors the Gay Games, which will take place next summer in Chicago.
Walgreen Co., based in Deerfield, Ill., is one of the bigger sponsors of the games. The company pledged $100,000 in support of the organization. PlanetOut and Q Television are also high-level sponsors.
The Illinois Family Institute (IFI), headed by Peter LaBarbera, is leading the charge against Walgreens' support of the games. He wrote a letter of protest to the company arguing, "Make no mistake: the 'Gay Games' was conceived as a way to build acceptance for homosexuality, in the name of sport -- a perversion of the athletic ideal. I urge you to withdraw Walgreens' sponsorship of the 'Gay Games'; until you do, I will be looking elsewhere to shop when I normally would have gone right down the road to the Walgreens store near my home."
The group is particularly upset that the company says it is sponsoring the games as a way to give back to people living with HIV. The company said its pharmacists have proudly served HIV patients since the early '80s, and this is one more way to show the company's support of the community.
AI
