Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Campbell's has come to the bizarre conclusion that gay people might eat soup too and has taken out magazine ads to appeal to that segment of the market, which predictably has the American Family Association all verklempt.
The American Family Association (AFA) says Christian consumers need to know that the Campbell Soup Company embraces the homosexual agenda.Campbell Soup bought two 2-page ads in the December and January issues of The Advocate, the nation's largest homosexual magazine. The ads promote their Swanson line of broth, and one of the ads highlights the lives of two lesbians, who are portrayed as being married, along with "their" son. Other ads feature chefs from New York City.
Cue the line from that old Pace salsa commercial - "New York City?" Cuz we all know nothing good comes from New York City. As Sarah Palin says, all values come from small towns.
Randy Sharp, AFA's director of special projects, says concerned consumers should contact company officials and ask them to stop endorsing homosexuality. "When you specifically target a homosexual magazine, then your company is basically endorsing these activities; you're endorsing the lifestyle," claims Sharp. "And in one ad, which...clearly shows two lesbians who say they are married, who say they have a son together, ...the Campbell Soup Company is saying 'we approve of homosexual marriage.' There is no question whatsoever of what the intentions of the company are."
So if they took out an ad in the AFA newsletter, would that mean they're endorsing bigoted assholes?
Politics
Comments
Soup is gay food.
Posted by: kehrsam | December 24, 2008 9:59 AM
One claim in that quote also appears to be a lie; the ad refers to the lesbians as "partners."
The ad itself is so unobjectionable and apolitical they are really outdoing themselves when they urge Campbell's to "remain neutral in the culture war." Neutral...I don't think that word means what they think it means. Was very glad to hear Campbell's is standing their ground.
Posted by: nicole | December 24, 2008 10:15 AM
I think I need to go stock up my pantry.
Posted by: Paul Lundgren | December 24, 2008 10:18 AM
Man, I wish Campbell's made better soup.
Posted by: george.w | December 24, 2008 10:36 AM
Endorsing the lifestyle? Huh? Pretend gay doesn't exist?
Advertising: selling stuff.
Note to Randy Sharp the Flaming Bigot: gay folk spend money, too.
What a jerk. I hate these arrogant god-inspired creeps.
Posted by: kamaka | December 24, 2008 10:39 AM
Maybe if these clowns boycott enough products, they'll starve from lack of food or die from lack of drugs, or freeze to death from lack of fuel.
Posted by: CJColucci | December 24, 2008 10:51 AM
And they didn't find it suggestive that they made CLAM chowder?
Oh wait...the New England CLAM chowder was okay-it's that Manhattan style that is gay;-)
Wait until they come out with Cream of Cucumber soup;-)
Posted by: Rev. AJB | December 24, 2008 10:56 AM
Only Progresso soup in my pantry from now on!
And no "Cream of..." soups either, just to be on the safe side.
Posted by: jaybird | December 24, 2008 11:00 AM
The AFA is encouraging people to email Douglas Conant, Campbell's president. So I did. I even used the AFA email form to send it! But I changed the form letter they suggested to something of my own and put "Bravo!" in the subject line.
Here's the email I sent Campbell's via the AFA:
Of course, if you send it via the AFA website, be sure to use a bogus email account or you might be signed up for their notifications.
Posted by: Yenald Looshi | December 24, 2008 11:07 AM
I didn't know what the "homosexual agenda" was, so I looked it up:
Now I know why the xians are so pissed off: they think teh gays are copying their shtick!
Posted by: Miguel | December 24, 2008 11:16 AM
"Verklempt." I love it. I've got to start incorporating that word in my everyday parlance.
Agreed. I hated the stuff even as a kid. I can't stand chicken stock, and Campbell's uses this dreaded ingredient with frightening zeal.
Posted by: Sadie Morrison | December 24, 2008 11:20 AM
"My fellow AFA members, it is vital that we know which companies to boycott for their support of the homosexual agenda, which is why I have subscribed to every major gay magazine and will monitor them closely, especially the advertising and classifieds sections. It is a disgusting, despicable job, but someone has to do it. I have also personally been surveilling areas used by homosexuals for 'cruising'... to, you know, protect our families from them."
Posted by: Joe V. | December 24, 2008 11:22 AM
"My fellow AFA members, it is vital that we know which companies to boycott for their support of the homosexual agenda, which is why I have subscribed to every major gay magazine and will monitor them closely, especially the advertising and classifieds sections. It is a disgusting, despicable job, but someone has to do it. I have also personally been surveilling areas used by homosexuals for 'cruising'... to, you know, protect our families from them."
Posted by: Joe V. | December 24, 2008 11:24 AM
Sorry for the double post! It gave me an error the first time.
Posted by: Joe V. | December 24, 2008 11:28 AM
...the Campbell Soup Company embraces the homosexual agenda.
How can anyone say that phrase with a straight face? Never mind accuracy, I can't even read it without sexual entendres popping up unbidden. Then I start thinking about being held in sinful bondage and wives submitting to husbands...I should stop there.
Cue the line from that old Pace salsa commercial - "New York City?" Cuz we all know nothing good comes from New York City.
Hey, I liked those commercials. Granted, that's probably just the Texas/New York mutual animosity talking, but still.
Posted by: schism | December 24, 2008 11:33 AM
Bravo to Campbells indeed. Going to pick up some soup on the way home. Their Select Harvest soups are pretty good actually. I eat them for lunch at work when I'm too lazy to roust some leftovers and too cheap to go out.
Posted by: Mike | December 24, 2008 11:52 AM
I looked at the Campbell's soup ad and... I caught the gay!
Luckily, it's the lesbian form, so I don't have to change my screensaver.
Posted by: Michael Suttkus, II | December 24, 2008 12:20 PM
Ed, it's obvious that the Patriarchy Research Council just doesn't want Campbell's propagating the idea that homosexuals do normal things like eat soup, especially since that contradicts the teachings of the Religious Right that they subsist entirely on the blood of children.
Posted by: DaveL | December 24, 2008 12:26 PM
I think Campbell's response is worth noting:
I wish McDonalds had the same balls that Campbell apparently does.
Posted by: yoshi | December 24, 2008 1:01 PM
Has the AFA been informed that one can spell dirty and subversive words with Alphabet Soup? :D
Posted by: namowal | December 24, 2008 1:32 PM
One of the single biggest forces working to mainstream "the gay lifestyle" is simple economics: it turns out gays have money. A fair amount of it, in fact. And you have to love the irony of people who claim to be conservatives complaining about the Free Market.
Posted by: WScott | December 24, 2008 1:51 PM
WScott said:
It's only as ironic as people who support freedom of speech objecting to the particular kind of speech that some people employ....which is to say, not ironic at all. The people opposed to the Campbell's soup ads are not complaining about the free market; they're complaining about Campbell's business choices within that market.
Posted by: Gretchen | December 24, 2008 1:59 PM
Need I point out that food banks across the Nation are in desperate need of non-perishable items.
Campbell's Soup is an ideal food to donate.
Posted by: LightningRose | December 24, 2008 3:00 PM
Sorry people, but homophobia just doesn't fire people up like it used to. And what is more, the term "homosexual" is about as antiquated as "negro".
Posted by: Raymond Minton | December 24, 2008 3:17 PM
Randy is quoted saying "Don't eat Campbell's soup or you'll catch the gay."
Leviticus 22:3 "And the angel of the LORD said to Mose, thou shall not part take of soup. For it is an abomination to thy LORD. If your in the field and the Israelites par take of foul liquid, take them before the cities elders. And say unto them, these people drink the devil juice. Take them to the edge of city and stone them."
But seriously...
Gays have money? Who would of thought a bunch of people (mostly) without children who have extra disposable income...
Oh, and eat soup...
Gay? No, soup for you!
Posted by: kryth | December 24, 2008 6:40 PM
"Make the victimizers look bad."
You know you're in lunatic, almost Fred Phelps-esque terrority when it's considered a BAD thing to make the victimizers of gays "look bad."
Posted by: daniel rotter | December 24, 2008 10:02 PM
"Make the victimizers look bad."
You know you're in lunatic, almost Fred Phelps-esque territory when it's considered a BAD thing to make the victimizers of gays "look bad."
Posted by: daniel rotter | December 24, 2008 10:04 PM
Apologize for the double post.
Posted by: daniel rotter | December 24, 2008 10:06 PM
Posted by: James Hanley | December 24, 2008 10:35 PM
Y'know, there's no great big lesson here, just some marketers who think there's soup to be sold.
Posted by: kamaka | December 25, 2008 12:28 AM
Why are there scare-quotes around "their"? Do the AFA think gays aren't even worthy of being the antecedent of a pronoun any more?
Or could it be because if they didn't use the quotes to make the scene out to be something sinister, it might suggest to their readers that gays are actually humans who have lives and families of their own?
Errr, I mean, of "their" own. As any good Christian knows, "their" lives and families aren't really "theirs" at all.
Posted by: Wes | December 25, 2008 3:47 AM
I think the funniest part of all is that the AFA has on at least one occasion I know of accused homosexuals of conspiricy, biggotry and anti-religious hate for boycotting companies that supported Prop 8.
Posted by: Suricou Raven | December 25, 2008 7:03 AM
To those that feel Campbell is not endorsing the homosexual lifestyle buy buying advertisements in a homosexual magazine with the ad depicting 2 lesbians as being married and raising a son are being illogical.
Would Campbell's buy an advertisement in a publication by the MANBLA (Man Boy Love Association)? Of course not at this time as our culture hasn't sunk that low to find that behavior acceptable....yet!
The poor boy being raised by 2 lesbians - talk about being gender confused - just creating another screwed up adult and tortured soul. :(
Posted by: JamesD | December 25, 2008 11:04 AM
Okay. Stop projecting.
Posted by: pough | December 25, 2008 11:11 AM
JamesD
So you've got proof that two female (or male) parents do a worse job than a mixed gender parents? Links please. Otherwise it's just your twisted opinion that assumes it. Lots of screwed up kids from mixed gender parents but I'd be laughed at if I blamed the gender mixing as the reason. Go soak your head. Oh, and merry Christmas.
Posted by: Mike | December 25, 2008 12:06 PM
Posted by: Taz | December 25, 2008 2:11 PM
I will never understand the bigoted behaviour exhibited by so-called "family" organizations - AFA, my ass.
Society as a whole is currently exhibiting the same signs ancient Rome did just before the Roman Empire collapsed. We're indulging in excesses previously unknown; frivolity, sexual excesses and who knows what else. Legal proceedings because a man on the radio called a black girl "knappy-headed", or because a woman on the street said the word "nigger" (which I don't particularly like - I just tell people who say that word in my presence that I don't like it, and they stop saying it near me). I'm quite frankly sick of people who don't like something broadcasting that dislike and trying to make it stop.
Note to the AFA: GAYS AREN'T GOING AWAY. Gays improve communities. It's a known fact. Gays have money to spend, and guess what - they buy the SAME THINGS YOU DO. Granted, they tend to have better taste, so maybe they buy better stuff than you do. Gays eat, gays sleep, gays work, gays pay taxes, gays ARE HERE TO STAY.
I wish I had more gay friends. They're cooler than the religious nuts.
Posted by: Rob | December 25, 2008 2:32 PM
Wow, Campbell's is butting heads with the buttheads at the AFA, cool. Maybe the next group they can take on is the ID Cretinists by putting out a back to basics product called "Primordial Soup".
JamesD:
In the spirit of the season; have a merry Saturnalia, THEN eat shit and die you bigoted piece of crap.
Posted by: democommie | December 25, 2008 2:38 PM
"...the homosexual lifestyle..."
Right, because all homosexuals have the same lifestyle.
Posted by: daniel rotter | December 25, 2008 3:57 PM
Rob:
You're correct about the "gay" thing. You're completely wrong on the other thing. On-air radio personalities that spout the sort of invective that Don Imus did about the female college basketball players are idiots or racists or both. They deserve what they get. Telling someone you don't like the "n" word is a good start. Telling them they're bigots or assholes, or both, would be a better idea.
Posted by: democommie | December 25, 2008 4:19 PM
Mike wrote:
Pfft! Who needs proof? All we need to know is that they're gay and that is enough to make blanket accusations about their mental health and child rearing capabilities.
/sarcasm
I loathe those hypocritical dinks in the AFA. I wish there was some sort of massive, global letter writing campaign in which gay couples and their families would send their photos, bios and testimonials to them by the thousands.
The AFA can be as nasty as they want in press releases, but I would like every last one of them to see the faces of the people they are harming and advocating against. Especially their children.
Posted by: Leni | December 25, 2008 5:07 PM
Hey, gay money is green like everyone elses. Campbells would be remiss to not try to get some of it.
Posted by: Bacopa | December 25, 2008 11:28 PM
Can the christian right please stop adding to the "Gay Agenda" it's getting confusing about how i'm supposed to take over the world.
Posted by: Richard Eis | December 26, 2008 6:53 AM