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(Washington) Ford Motor Company shareholders will vote next month on a resolution to drop protections for LGBT workers from the company's human resources regulations.
The company had fought the motion, submitted by shareholder Robert Hurley of Alton, Ill, but when Alton took the issue to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission the commission said the automaker must put the resolution to a vote at Ford's annual meeting May 11.
The motion calls for Ford to change its policy to exclude any reference to sexual interests, activities or orientation.
Ford had argued to the SEC that the proposal would hurt the company's ability to recruit and could hurt sales to gays and lesbians.
The SEC rejected the argument.
Ford said on Tuesday that it would comply with the SEC directive and include the resolution in its package and proxies to shareholders.
"We will include it, and we will have our comments in the proxy statement," said company spokesperson Becky Sanch.
The possibility of ending LGBT protections to workers delighted the American Family Association which is boycotting Ford over the company's advertising in the gay media.
"I find Ford's logic in asking the SEC to omit the resolution interesting," AFA Chairman Don Wildmon said in a statement.
"In essence Ford is saying they are concerned that a boycott by homosexual groups would financially hurt the company, but the boycott by the pro-family groups will not."
The AFA and 18 other conservative groups last moth reinstated their boycott of Ford saying that the company had "reneged on an agreement to stop funding groups that promote same-sex marriage."
The conservative Christian group launched a nationwide boycott of Ford last May over the automaker's support for LGBT issues. Weeks later it put the boycott on hold after dealers asked for time to see if the AFA complaints "could be addressed by them in cooperation with officials from Ford Motor Company."
In early December, following a meeting with the AFA, Ford, through its ad agency, began notifying gay media outlets that it was canceling all ads for Jaguar and Land Rover but would continue, at least for now, to run ads for Volvo.
The AFA ended its threatened boycott declaring victory.
Major LGBT civil rights groups immediately demanding a meeting with company executives. The groups demanded to know if a secret agreement had been made with the American Family Association to end the company's long commitment to the gay community.
The groups also sought a commitment from Ford on funding to LGBT civil rights groups and to resume advertising in the media.
A day later Ford issued a statement saying that it would feature all of its brands in a 2006 ad campaign in LGBT publications. Previously Ford was advertising only its Land Rover and Jaguar brands in the gay press.
As for financially supporting lgbt rights groups the company said in its statement that "while we still support certain events, I know you understand that the business situation will limit the extent of our support in all communities in 2006."
In addition to LGBT pressure at least one major shareholder also exerted force on the company- the New York State Local Retirement System, the biggest state pension plan in the country.
©365Gay.com 2006
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