Baptist Press
NASHVILLE — As retailers open the Christmas shopping season, One Million Moms is calling for a boycott of American Girl products and the parent company Mattel, because American Girl Magazine’s November/December cover features a gay couple and its four adoptive children. The morality watchdog group’s call comes even as various media outlets report that some Christians are opposed to the new Starbucks holiday cup, although no Christian group has been specifically identified as calling for a Starbucks boycott. Instead, Christians have decried news of a boycott of the coffee chain.
The American Girl controversy arose after the magazine featured a story about an 11-year-old girl and her two adoptive dads, whom she refers to as “Daddy” and “Dada.” The magazine could have spotlighted adoption with a family that promotes biblical values, One Million Moms said.
“We must remain diligent and stand up for biblical values and truth,” said One Million Moms, which mobilizes mothers to encourage morality in media.
American Girl is one of Mattel’s top toy brands, according to the Mattel website.
Starbucks debuts a red cup each Christmas, but this year the cup is decorated with the green Starbucks logo, instead of a winter snowflakes scene, as in 2014. A Nov. 4 Facebook post complaining about the 2015 cup went viral, and led to perhaps erroneous media reports that many Christians were boycotting the brand.
Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, urged Christians not to buy into the hoopla in a Nov. 9 post on his blog, The Exchange.
“Folks, we really need to calm down. If you’ve posted an outraged Facebook update, take it down,” Stetzer wrote. “Starbucks cups are red because of the Christmas season. Starbucks is not persecuting you. Starbucks may be attempting to respect those who don’t celebrate Christmas — and that’s OK. That’s their choice. They’re a business that exists to serve all customers without preference, regardless of what winter holidays they do or do not celebrate. If they choose to do that by means of a plain, red cup, that’s their call.”
Starbucks explained the cup’s design in a press release posted on its website.
“In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs,” Jeffrey Fields, Starbucks vice president of design and content, said in the release. “This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories. … Starbucks has become a place of sanctuary during the holidays. We’re embracing the simplicity and the quietness of it. It’s [a] more open way to usher in the holiday.”
