Anti-LGBTQ+ organization One Million Moms (OMM) clutched their pearls over the inclusion of two Broadway musicals featuring trans and non-binary characters performing in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and started a petition to boycott Macy's.
OMM exists solely to campaign against LGBTQ+ representation in media because they fear LGBTQ+ characters in TV, stage, and film are indoctrinating their children with "the gay agenda."
The group is an offshoot of the conservative Christian fundamentalist group, the American Family Association (AFA).
OMM urged members to "say no" to this year's "non-binary and transgender extravaganza" on display at the annual Thanksgiving pageant because it "will potentially expose tens of millions of viewers at home to the liberal LGBTQ agenda."
The two controversial parade performances at the center of the controversy include nonbinary actor Justin David Sullivan, who plays "May," a nonbinary friend of Juliet's in the musical & Juliet; and Tony Award-winning nonbinary actor Alex Newell, who plays the female character Lulu in the comedy musical Shucked.
In their petition, OMM told Macy's:
"I do not agree with the LGBTQ agenda you are pushing on families during your Thanksgiving Day Parade."
"My family and I will not watch this indoctrination."
"Since this event goes against our beliefs and values, Macy’s has left conservative and Christian families with no choice but to avoid the parade and its stores, even during the holiday season."
"My family will not support Macy’s; you have lost our trust."
But their boycott only served to raise interest in new viewership of the annual holiday tradition.
Now I must watch the entire #MacysThanksgivingParade because it will be an extravaganza!!! Yay!!! How fun is that!!! \ud83e\udd83\ud83c\udf85\ud83c\udffb\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f \u201cMacy\u2019s Thanksgiving Day Parade Will Be 'Nonbinary and Transgender Extravaganza,' Says One Million Moms\u201d https://t.co/fl07z1X6ex— (@)
The group's past anti-LGBTQ+ mobilization efforts included opposing the hiring of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to be a spokesperson for J.C. Penny, because DeGeneres was an "open homosexual."
They also boycotted Marvel and DC Comics issues for featuring gay characters in storylines they described as "brainwashing and desensitizing experiences" for children, written to "influence them in thinking that a gay lifestyle choice is normal and desirable."
Despite the group's moniker suggesting a million members, OMM has only about 105,000 social media followers.
A CNN article reported that in response to a Burger King campaign that OMM opposed because it used the word "damn" in advertisements, "more than 8,000 people have taken action on the Burger King issue, and its Facebook group has just shy of 100,000 likes."
As of this writing, OMM's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade boycott petition has 19,243 signatures.
