The American Family Association, which opposes same-sex marriages, said it is suspending a boycott of Home Depot because the retailer has pulled funding for gay and lesbian groups, but the Atlanta-based company said its policies have not changed.
AFA launched a boycott three years ago because it said the home improvement retailer financially supports gay and lesbian organizations. The group said more than 750,000 people signed a “boycott Home Depot pledge” to not shop at the retailer.
In a letter posed recently on its website, AFA President Tim Wildmon said he was “glad to report” Home Depot had “withdrawn its major financial contributions to gay activist groups and events.” He declined, however, to name the groups and events.
A spokesman for Home Depot, however, said Monday that he is not aware of any funding that has been removed and that the retailer continues to promote inclusion of gay and lesbian groups.
“We haven’t made any changes to our policies for inclusion and respect of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation,” spokesman Stephen Holmes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We have not directed our associates to discontinue participation in Pride or other community events, and have no intention of doing so.”
Holmes said many decisions about funding and participation in gay and lesbian events are made at the local level.
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