Those McFabulous Rainbow Arches
By J. Matt Barber

I'm always mystified when allegedly intelligent, bottom-line-obsessed corporate types abandon the fiscally secure milieu of political neutrality and take sides, officially, on deeply polarizing, socio-cultural issues of the day.

That's exactly what the formerly family-friendly McDonald's Corporation recently did. In an apparent effort to pierce the hyper-demanding good graces of the radical homosexual lobby, these clowns (pun intended) have thrown the vast majority of potential Mickey D's customers, worldwide, under the bus. Because of this colossal corporate blunder, the hamburger giant is now facing an embarrassing and ever-growing international boycott.

McDonald's self-inflicted woes started back in March, when the company paid $20,000 to have Richard Ellis, McDonald's "out and proud" homosexual vice president of communications, placed on the board of the innocuously tagged "National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce." NGLCC is an extremist, "gay" activist organization that lobbies for leftist causes, such as "gay marriage," and pushes for other policies that would grant special privileges to certain individuals who define themselves based upon unhealthy, traditionally immoral and changeable sexual behaviors.

Unfortunately, the radical San Francisco-style policies both the NGLCC and McDonald's advocate run directly counter to the best interests of the vast majority of Americans outside California's "Sodom on the Bay." For example, under communist-tested, McDonald's-approved "hate speech" legislation, such as the so-called Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Christians and other business owners with traditional values would be forced – under penalty of law – to abandon sincerely held religious beliefs and adopt McDonald's own secular-humanist, moral-relativist view of right and wrong. In many cases, business owners would be persecuted, even if the business in question were expressly faith-based. This pits the government directly against the free exercise of religion and, for that reason, is unconstitutional on its face.

But perhaps most damaging is that McDonald's is now publicly supporting counterfeit "same-sex marriage," despite the fact that, according to a March 2007 CBS/New York Times poll, only 28 percent of Americans believe same-sex pairs should be allowed legally to marry. As far as bad business decisions go, this one's a real whopper (sorry for the mixed metaphor). This has, no doubt, made shareholders grimace … (OK, I'll stop).

Still, same-sex marriage is a contradiction in terms. It's a bizarre bastardization of legitimate marriage. It both mocks and undermines the genuine article. Marriage is a fundamental building block to any healthy society. If you introduce counterfeit money into commerce, the dollar is devalued. If you introduce counterfeit marriage into society, true marriage is devalued and society is harmed. Yet McDonald's has now thrown its full weight, brand name and presently tarnished reputation behind the push for "gay marriage" in all 50 states.

If you take time to write McDonald's and inquire as to why the company has betrayed a majority percentage of its customers, you'll get a condescending, cutesy and self-aggrandizing form letter that takes about 350 words to say absolutely nothing. It's built upon euphemistic talking points, spoon-fed by homosexual activist pressure groups such as the NGLCC and the anti-Christian "Human Rights Campaign". It goes a little like this: "At McDonald's we respect and value everyone … blah, blah, blah … Diversity … blah, blah … Inclusion … yada, yada … We have a long and proud history of leadership … blah, blah, (gag!)" You know the drill.

However, when McDonald's steps up to the mic to address the media, a veritable rainbow of true colors is revealed. While referring to customers with traditional family values, spokesman Bill Whitman regurgitated this little McNugget to the Washington Post: "Hatred has no place in our culture." Nice job, Bill. I'm sure the hundreds of millions of customers you've just smacked down with this little insult are itchin' for a Happy Meal now.

Get it? If you happen to support the historical definition of marriage – which is, and has always been male-female – then you're a drooling, inbred hatemonger. This kind of rhetoric is right out of the left's PC handbook. It's an intellectually bankrupt copout intended to avoid legitimate debate. When you're getting your tail whipped, you lob personal attacks.

So, truth is McDonald's definition of "diversity" doesn't really mean diversity after all. The company has wholeheartedly bought into that euphemistic notion of "diversity" pushed by liberal elites – a paradoxical model for "inclusion" that only swings one way. So when you hear McDonald's talk about "diversity," what they're really feeding you is warmed-over, anti-Christian bigotry in a cheap, thin wrapper.

Diversity is as diversity does, and McDonald's brand of diversity has them in a real pickle. I suspect if the king of burgers were alive today, McDonald's founder Ray Kroc would be some kind of flame-broilin' ticked-off.

Matt Barber is Director of Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel and Associate Dean with Liberty University School of Law.  Send comments to Matt at jmattbarber@comcast.net. 

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