The BBC, through its BBC America commercial operation, is unwittingly helping to financially support a number of “gay hate” groups, it emerged yesterday.
The Website Christian Values Network (CVN), founded by Hollywood actor/director Stephen Baldwin and Michael Lohan (father of actress, pop singer and model Lindsay Lohan), raises money for various religious groups from the purchase of goods and services.
And BBC America is participating, offering “free shipping” to those ordering through the CVN site, CGBG Giveback.
When a customer makes a purchase through CVN, a donation is made to the ‘charity’ of the customer’s choice.
The CVN operation hit the headlines last week when a Change.org petition calling on software giant Microsoft to disassociate itself from the scheme. Within hours, Microsoft had left the scheme, prompting Joe Mirabella to pen the article Microsoft Removes Store from “Christian Values Network” after Connection to Anti-Gay Groups Revealed which was posted on Change.org on Friday July 8.
In the article, Joe Mirabella wrote:
“ ... included among those organisations [benefiting financially from the CVN scheme] are ‘gay-hate’ groups Focus on the Family, Family Research Council,Summit Ministries, Abiding Truth Ministries, and the Liberty Counsel. Each organization has been identified as an anti-gay “hate group” according to theSouthern Poverty Law Center.”
The BBC America online shop sells items like DVDs of Dr. Who, Torchwood, Top Gear, Faulty Towers and other BBC Television favourites popular in the USA. The shop also offers BBC books and programme memorabilia.
Yesterday, Apple was asked withdraw from the scheme – a Change.org petition to Apple, originated by Ben Crowther, a student at Western Washington University, had attracted 1,400 signatures.
When the BBC in London was contacted for comment yesterday afternoon, a spokesperson referred UK Gay News to BBC America in New York, adding that the BBC’s involvement with the CVN scheme was more than likely “gay hate”.
BBC America has been invited by both telephone and email to comment. A brief response was received in the early hours of Wednesday morning. “We are looking into this and will follow up with you soon,” a spokesperson at BBC America told UK Gay News by email.
More than 600 companies, many of them well-known, are taking part in the CVN scheme.
According to Joe Mirabella: “Dozens of major companies like Netflix, Target, Best Buy, REI, Delta, and even Sesame Street participate in CVN’s service. When customers make purchases through CVN, a donation is made to the charity of the customer’s choice. For example, Wells Fargo gives up to $300 per loan made through CVN and 2.5% of the purchase price for products bought through Apple iTunes store can be donated to groups like Focus on the Family.”
■ This article was prepared by UK Gay News with the help of Joe Mirabella who writes for Change.org and the Seattle Post Intelligencer
