Business Archives - Page 7 of 13

Barilla Pasta Chair: “I absolutely don’t respect adoptions in gay families”

September 27, 2013

Pasta is a parent’s lifesaver. It’s quick and easy to prepare, and even the pickiest kids usually like some version of it. I was disheartened, then, to learn that Guido Barilla, the chair of Barilla Pasta — my go-to brand — told a radio interviewer Wednesday that, “I absolutely don’t respect adoptions in gay families, because that concerns a person who is not the people who decide.” Guess what? We LGBT parents, like most parents, buy lots of pasta for our families. I daresay it won’t be Barilla now.

Baby, I Can Drive Your Car

August 19, 2013

“Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet” goes the old ad jingle. I therefore felt rather all-American on a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest to test drive the Chevy Volt as part of the iconic brand’s outreach to the LGBT community.

Betty Crocker Bakes Cakes for Minnesota Same-Sex Weddings

July 31, 2013

Betty Crocker sits right up there with television’s June Cleaver as one of the icons of homemaking. How delightful, then, that General Mills, which owns the Betty Crocker brand, will be donating cakes to the first three same-sex couples to marry in Minnesota when it becomes legal to do so this Thursday — and that the brand is taking other steps to include same-sex couples in its marketing.

ExxonMobile Votes Against LGBT Protections. Where Will You Buy Gas?

May 30, 2013

Yesterday, ExxonMobil shareholders for the 14th year in a row rejected a resolution to add sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to the company’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy—a policy that had been in place in the Mobil corporation before its merger with Exxon. And in a test conducted by LGBT group Freedom to Work, the company called back a less-qualified applicant over a more-qualified one, with the main difference in their resumes being that the latter volunteered with an LGBT-rights organization. So where will you fill up to take the kids to soccer practice?

The New Amtrak Ads Through a Racial Lens

August 3, 2012

In my post yesterday about the new Amtrak ads, I mentioned that it was good to see same-sex parents of color in the media. In discussing the ads with a friend and educator who is Black and a lesbian, however, I came to realize my White perspective was only giving me part of the story.

Amtrak On the Right Track with Lesbian and Gay Family Ads

August 2, 2012

Amtrak has just launched a lovely new advertising campaign featuring lesbian moms and gay dads. The company has marketed to the LGBT community for several years, but chugs into new territory with its latest two ads that focus on same-sex parents.

The Children’s TYLENOL® brand and LGBT Families

July 31, 2012

(The following is a guest post from Meg, who works on the Children’s TYLENOL® brand team at McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. In this post, she writes about her thoughts on the brand’s support of LGBT families and what it means to her as a lesbian.)

My wife and I just bought our first home together, nestled in Cherry Hill, NJ. It’s been a lengthy process moving in, with its ups and downs, a ton of boxes, and weeks of unpacking, but every moment has been worth it. For both of us, it is such a monumental point in our lives. And now we’ve reached the stage in our journey where we’re considering starting a family.

Coming Soon: Guest Posts for Family Week

July 27, 2012

Tomorrow, July 28, marks the start of Family Week, the annual event in Provincetown, Mass. hosted by the Family Equality Council for LGBT families and our children. I won’t be there in person this year, alas, but in honor of the event, I’ll be bringing you two special guest posts next week.

Gay Dads and Toddler Denied Pool Access

July 5, 2012

Two gay dads in Virginia wanted to take their son swimming during the summer, so they signed up for a family membership at the Roanoke Athletic Club. The club initially granted the membership, then denied it upon realizing the dads were gay. This is only one of several disturbing recent actions allegedly taken by the club, which is owned by regional medical provider Carilion Clinic.

Campaign Aims to End Exclusion of Same-Sex Parents from Forms

March 15, 2012

Scratching out “Father” and writing in “Mother” is an all-too common experience for coupled lesbian moms (vice versa for gay dads). Now, the Family Equality Council (FEC) hopes to draw attention to the many forms that still exclude our families. Their “Snap It & Send It” campaign asks people to take photos or scans of non-inclusive forms and send them to forms@familyequality.org, along with notes about how the forms are impacting their family.