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04/16/2007
'Waitt' a second, FOF!
So last week we told you how a billboard company, Waitt Outdoor, had refused to run an advertisement submitted to them by the "ex-gay"-advocating folks at Love Won Out. Well Focus on the Family (Love Won Out's baby daddy) is trying to make their decision a "free speech issue," saying, "Private companies have the right to refuse services to anyone they choose, although they rarely do," and calling a competitor who did choose to run the billboard, a company that "stands up for free speech."
But here's the thing (made especially pertinent in light of the Imus situation): Free speech deals with the American government, not private companies. And private companies do not RARELY refuse ideas, employees, or clients who's own standards or convictions fall outside of the company's ideals; they do so ALL THE TIME! This website would NEVER run an ad for Love Won Out, and we can't imagine that Focus on the Family would ever run an ad for the GLAAD Media Awards. That's because the two events fall outside of the ideals of the respective organizations. If Waitt neglected to run the billboard because they didn't want to delve into such a divisive political issue or because they found the message objectionable, then they have every single right!
Focus on the Family quotes a spokesman from Waitt's competitor, Lamar Advertising, as saying:
“We support the First Amendment rights of advertisers to promote legal products and services”
But again, this presents a false idea. Lamar Advertising has no control over anyone's First Amendment rights! We ALL have the right to express our ideas, and no company, via their corporate policies, are either violating or validating these rights. The right that we also all have is the one to protest such corporate decisions if we feel they are unfair. Focus on the Family can bitch, moan, write whatever they wish about the decision, stand on the public sidewalk outside of the business and hold signs of contempt, etc. A refusal to allow them any of these freedoms would be a free speech violation. The refusal to take them on as a client, however, is only a violation of their "right" to do business with Waitt!
We staunchly support free speech. It is what allows us to call gay marriage bans "heinous" and those who support them "objectionable." However, it is unlikely that the CBS network is going to give us half an hour a week to go on their network and say our piece in an unchallenged fashion (though the Logo network might -- hint hint, nudge nudge). This is because they are a masses-focused network who tend to shy away with messages that are as polarizing as ours can be. They have every right to run their network in the way they see fit. Every business does! And every employee, consumer, advertiser, contractor, client, corporate board member can personally condemn or support every one of a company's business decisions (even though any and all of them may have to suffer the business repercussions that their free speech might bring on).
Waitt has given no public reason why they decided to not run the Love Won Out billboards. It could be because the owners find the unscientific, unsupported "ex-gay" idea personally reprehensible. It could be because they simply find the message too divisive, much in the same way they would likely find a pro-gay message that said evangelicals were sinners who could be free from anti-gaydom via religion. We simply don't know why they made their business decision. We do, however, know that in making their choice, they left our nation's First Amendment firmly intact.
Billboard Company Refuses Ex-Gay Ads [FOF CitizenLink]
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