November 16, 2017
Hate Groups Hate 'Happy Holidays' But Can't Agree on Which Stores Are Naughty
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
As Black Friday approaches, religious right wing activists and followers enter their yearly quandary - where to shop? And with boycotts on everything from theme parks to salad dressing in effect due to corporate support of LGBTQ rights, finding a place to buy Christmas gifts has become increasingly difficult for the "love thy neighbor" (but not really) set.
It's that time of year when "Christian" groups change their focus from hating LGBTQ rights to hating anyone who opts for the inclusive greeting "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas.
Anti-LGBTQ hate group Liberty Counsel (LC) got a jump on the non-existent "War on Christmas" by posting to their website:
"Back in 2003, Liberty Counsel noticed a swell of anti-Christmas sentiment that was threatening to become a tsunami of unconstitutional censorship. [..] In answer to this, Liberty Counsel launched our annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign and now we are putting the 'grinches' on the run! We promise to be a 'Friend' to those who recognize Christmas and a 'Foe' to those who censor it."
Among LC's list of "Naughty" stores are clothiers Gap, Old Navy and J. Crew, as well as drug store chains Walgreens and Rite Aid. Also included is Radio Shack, which closed all but 28 of their corporate locations in 2017. Talk about kicking a store while they're down.
Similarly, LC's sister anti-LGBTQ hate group American Family Association (AFA) also wages its own war on retail. Both groups publish a "Naughty or Nice" list to protect followers from hearing "Happy Hollidays."
Ironically, although both groups claim to have the Lord's interests at heart, neither completely agree on which stores belong in the hot seat. This was noted by Right Wing Watch, who noted that the hate organizations "can't seem to agree on which retailers are sufficiently pro-Christmas, with AFA labeling Dick's Sporting Good and Rite-Aid as "nice" while LC labels them "naughty," and LC designating Staples as "nice" while AFA says they are "naughty."
