July 20, 2012; Source: Huffington Post
Office Depot has partnered with and donated $1 million to Lady Gaga’s charity, the Born This Way Foundation, and has designed several back-to-school products including messages of empowerment for youth such as “Be Brave,” “Be Amazing,” “Be Yourself,” “Be Kind,” “Be Accepting,” and “Be Involved.” Twenty-five percent of product sales will go directly to Born This Way Foundation, with a guaranteed donation of $1 million this year. Cynthia Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s mother and the president of the Born This Way Foundation, said, “With Office Depot’s support, we will empower millions of young people this back-to-school season, letting them know that it’s okay to be yourself.”
The nonprofit Florida Family Association (FFA) is very unhappy about this partnership, claiming Lady Gaga’s foundation is sending what it considers an inappropriate message to youth—that it’s okay to be gay—and is asking Office Depot to rescind their donation. The Florida Family Association sees Born This Way as leading children down the wrong path, where they “will be inspired to accept the wrong choice based upon this unscientific, emotionally charged propaganda.”
According to a statement from the Florida Family Association:
“The one million dollar pledge from Office Depot to the Lady Gaga Born this Way Foundation will influence many teens to embrace homosexuality for their lifetime who may have otherwise worked through their crisis with straight results.”
As NPQ sees it, the FFA claim that this partnership will turn kids gay is farfetched and FFA is twisting the positive message that the Born This Way Foundation is using to empower youth and to prevent bullying. –Aine Creedon
