Friday, May 8, 2009

Wal-Mart CEO Signs Petition Banning Gay Adoption

Mike Duke the CEO of Wal-Mart, the world's largest grocery retailer is in some hot water for his personal political actions in the state of Arkansas.

Over the weekend, the website knowthyneighbor.org revealed that Mike Duke signed a petition to put an anti-gay adoption ban on the ballot in Arkansas. (Mike Duke’s signature below was pulled off the actual PDF provided by the Secretary of State) (Wal-Mart Watch).

This is a further slap in the face to activists who have been demanding that Wal-Mart support its GLBT employees. But with leadership like this, it's hard to believe progress will be made.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought Arkansas already passed a gay adoption ban in their last election. Is someone fighting it (they should, it's a horrible law for GLBT people and especially the adoptable children.) and this petition is a new one?

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it's time to boycott WalMart? This type of behavior by a CEO is unacceptable. He needs to retract his support and publicly apologize. And it's way past time that WalMart adopt anti-discrimination measures to protect and support ALL of its employees.

Anonymous said...

I shop Target! F**k Wally-World... We should be buying local anyway & supporting LGBT business!!!! Can't afford to buy at places other than Wal-Mart, try buying less...paying more for less isn't always bad... you might be getting more than you think!

Ron Hager said...

How many adopted children does Mike Duke have? I have one and I can tell you that he and other non-adopting people have absolutely no idea of the issues confronting adoptive parents. The gender of an adoptive parent is the least of our issues.

Queers United said...

Anon 1 this was for the past election, but the records have now come to light showing who signed it.

meechls said...

BOYCOTT Walmart! I'm with ya!

Anonymous said...

Boycott Walmart? Been doing it for years and now another reason to let others know why they are an unwelcome business.

Unknown said...

Even when I was a poor college student, while their prices were alluring, I would NOT set foot in there. This is just another validation as to why.

Lars said...

I'm just glad we now all have his home address...We can mail our comments to his home now and not his office. His wife signed the same petition. He also gave a large amount of money to the Hukster's Pres. campaign. (Hello Target!)

Suzanne said...

I have two adopted younger siblings and I agree...until you know what it takes to adopt, you have no right saying who can and who can't be considered as parents. Did he adopt? F**k him and f**k Walmart.

Anonymous said...

I never liked wal-mart...Wouldn't shop
there to save my life...I'm a total TARGET
girl!

TACKLE YOU HUGS!!!!!!!

Laurie

Anonymous said...

Mike Duke and his wife, both have every right to sign any petition they want that supports their private beliefs. Why is it that when anyone agrees with the GLBT cause, they are saints, but if you disagree, then you are a bigot or worse. Don't people have the right to their opinions anymore? What happened to " I disagree with what you are saying, but I will defend your right to say it with my life"??? Or does that only apply to those that agree with you? Same thing happened with the Miss USA contestant...oh, you don't agree with me? well, then you must be a bitch and a cunt..so says Mr. Hilton..geez! If the GLBT society would stop shoving their cause in everyones face, you would get a lot farther with your agenda!

Queers United said...

He has a right to his opinion, not to hurt our families. There is a difference between thought and action. He is a bigot.

Anonymous said...

LGBT agendas don't have to be shoved into anyones face, everyone just keeps shoving their face into our agendas. Do you know how many kids are out there desperately awaiting adoption who will never get adopted? Do you care? No, you are so afraid of people being raised open minded that you would rather them have no family. You disgust me.

Anonymous said...

yea, i know all about walmart, as i worked for their ugly ass for 11 years and i seen alot and heard alot and i know their not good people behind closed doors, such ass the public... i woulden't do it again for love or money they aged me 20 years, i must have encountered the meanest people that came and went throughout the years such as the management so called i knew more than they did about how the store is operated and still do they waste alot of money..... and their not made in the USA..... their bogus... i can't say enough except this gay thing is none of walmarts business

Anonymous said...

This is the last straw. We need to get people to stop shopping at Wal-Mart.

Anonymous said...

First, in reply to the one uneducated comment regarding "gay choice"... if homosexuality is a choice, when did you choose to be straight? Second, regarding Mike Duke and his "gays shouldn't get to adopt" belief and support, it's no surprise that a man who uses the slave classes in Red China to provide manufacturing labor would stoop to the pretense of a moral ideology of ANY kind. He should at least pretend interest in human rights before instructing anyone on the proper upbringing of children.

Anonymous said...

First off God created Adam, then He created Eve for a help mate and they were told to go and be fruitful and multiple the earth.(reproduce) Then generations later He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha because of all of the sin (homosexuality)there. Hum so homosexuality is right? I don't think so. Because of all of this (since Adam & Eve) children are born into sin, they are without sin when there were born but born into sin. Homosexuality is a sin,the Bible plaionly tells us this. So how could one be born with sin? Babies are pure and innocent. They learn behaviors from society and chose to either do what is right or what is wrong. There for it is a learned behavior or choice. Stistics will tell you that I should be a drunk because it runs in the family but I chose a long time ago that I didn't want to live that lifestyle.
(it was wrong) I could be one and then tell everyone that I didn't have a choice because it was in my genes or wasn't my fault or choice. Everything we do in life is a choice, we chose what to wear when to get up, to go to work or not go to work etc. This is no different. Same as we can chose to make Heaven or Hell our home. It is called Freewill. Just because you may chose this life style doesn't mean that a child should have to endure it also. These children will have to endure enough because of the bad start that they have. They don't deserve to live a life with 2 men or 2 women, they deserve the best that they could ever get. The Bible also talks about casting your pearls before the swine, I hope this isn't the case here. As far as the questin you ask, "when did I decide to be straight" my conscience has led me in all that I do. I could not be in a gay relationship no more than I could sleep with an animal, its just not normal. When homosexuals stand before God on the day of judgement He is going to say "depart from me because I never knew you. Do you think He is going to let them say to Him, but its not my fault, I didn't choose to be this way? I don't think so, I believe He is going to tell them it was thrir own freewill. May God bless you. :)

Anonymous said...

my two cents to the above poster: biblical scholars agree that the sin of Sodom was it's lack of hospitality, not homosexuality, which makes this argument entirely ironic.

Second it is appalling that you equate gay and lesbian people with animals whether you did intentionally or not--the subtext still is there.

And third if your god is judgmental and rigid, and yet he is seen as "father" what kind of god is that? Why do you let god get away with actions that we would condemn as child abuse in an earthly father?

Hearseman said...

This petition was not a vote in favor of the action.

It was a petition to have the measure placed on the ballot for the residents of the state to vote on - one way or the other.

I'd much rather have something of this magnitude placed into the hands of citizens than elected officials with hidden agendas.

Anonymous said...

The whole argument from Genesis assumes that the text is an accurate account of the creation of the world. If it isn't, then you are just waving a book around that has no relevance in this discussion, and building your house upon the sand, which I suspect you are doing.
Having read the Bible for many years, even to the point of baptism and ministry, I can safely say it has no power over me and no place in this discussion. I don't care what Genesis does or does not say, hate to shatter your bubble, and I no longer see fit to explain just how terribly wrong fundamentalists get those texts anyway. If you can't be bothered to really read your own holy book, then I have no chance explaining it to you.
Okay, one verse: "He that does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1John 4:8) In the end, when we stand before God after this life, we will all have gotten something wrong. The question is, is it better to err on the side of love or on the side of judgment?
I'm standing with love.

Anonymous said...

Tucker13

How is a boycott of Wal-Mart by 5% of the population going to hurt?

What a joke.

Anonymous said...

Good for him.. I'll shop at Wal-mart even more there now!

Anonymous said...

Yup - WalMart just found a loyal shopper in me, just to counteract all of you!! What about free speech guys - hmmm????? Oh, that's right -you don't want free speech, just robots who will repeat your line. I'm all for freedom. As far the the raising kids thing? I recently have come across a 'family' of two lesbian women raising a young boy (about 4). He is the only boy in the ballet class, and doesn't seem to want to be there. He is always dressed in pink, and showed up last week with his fingernails and toenails painted vivid purple. (it's against school rules for anyone to have colored nail polish). It appears strongly that these women are trying to ensure this boy grows up gay. Thanks, but no thanks. My heart goes out to this child.

Queers United said...

It's not free speech when you take action to hurt and split families. Your pointing to that lesbian couple is absurd. Normal parents want their kids happy, and healthy they don't care if they are straight or gay. You can't raise a kid to be straight or gay. Straight parents raise gay kids, and gay parents raise straight kids all the time.

Anonymous said...

Playing devil's advocate here: "Since" homosexuality is a choice, quit worrying! The kids we gays raise can just choose be straight when they grow up so our homosexuality will have no impact on them after all. :)

Anonymous said...

It's funny how people come on these message boards and say "what about our freedom of speech?" When they're trying to force their own beliefs on us by law. Your personal views and values are supposed to be just that...PERSONAL, and in what you chose for yourself. Others don't have the same personal views as you do, and what gives you're values any more value over theirs? There's nothing wrong with saying you think it's wrong, and people shouldn't do it. But that's you're opinion, you have no right to actually come out and stop someone from doing what they feel is the right thing in their own hearts and minds. I don't think people should smoke, but it's their body and their life. I have no right to tell them they can't. I don't think people should spank their kids, but it's not really abuse, and I know even though I hate with everything I have in me, I can't tell a parent what to do. What I can do is tell a parent that if it were me I wouldn't do it and explain my reasons why, but ultimately it's their family, not mine so I have no say, and that's how it should be. No one has the right to tell someone they can't be a parent based on their own personal values. It'd be like trying to prevent people of differing faiths from adopting cause you're Christan and don't believe children should be raised Jewish. You just can't do that in this country, or at least you shouldn't be able to, and if this country ever goes back to it's original ideas, on which it was founded, you won't be able to do that.

America was founded on freedom to lead your life as you chose not to force others to lead the life you think ideal for them. Violate that, and you are not a true American in my view, and know nothing of the true America, or true Christianity for that matter, but that's another debate. Don't care how you believe, or how wrong you get your own rules, as long as you're not trying to make those warped rules my law.

Oh, I didn't want to sign up on something just to post so it'll say anonymous, but I'm never ashamed to speak my mind, my yahoo ID is aaronw80

Anonymous said...

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