Former protester praising Wal-Mart's policy reversal

Former protester praising Wal-Mart's policy reversal

The director of the pro-life, pro-family group Operation Save America says Wal-Mart's announcement that it's curbing its financial support of the homosexual agenda is significant on two counts -- the opposition of Christians both inside and outside of the company that spurred the reversal, and the rarity of a large corporate entity backtracking on any part of its policy of homosexual support.

Flip Benham says pro-family groups and Christians nationwide reacted when Wal-Mart -- as other corporate giants had done when pressured by radical homosexual groups -- joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and financially supported it and other homosexual causes. He says they wrote letters and emails, and joined a major boycott of the retailer, including the day-after-Thanksgiving sale in 2006.

Benham feels that reaction sent a definite message to corporate headquarters -- in addition to the employees and managers there and at field stores, who made it clear they were not in agreement with the turn in business policy.

"There was a huge push in [the company homosexual employees group] 'Wal-Mart Pride' in Bentonville, Arkansas, to press this agenda," he explains. "What happened was Christians began to stand up in Wal-Mart, not only in Wal-Mart affiliates outside, but also at the corporate level -- and a battle was being waged."

And Benham has been encouraged. "Rather than just surrendering like Bank of America has, like Wachovia Bank has, like IBM has, like Levi Strauss has, like Sara Lee has -- rather than that corporate surrender," he says, "they're standing up and saying, 'No, we will not promote that.'"

Benham says only Perot Systems and Mobil Exxon have backed away from their membership in NGLCC before, so to have the largest retailer in the world do so sends a message to other large corporations that they, too, can stand against the pressure to be part of the homosexual agenda.