Ellen DeGeneres, who recently announced a new partnership with J.C. Penney, has been the subject of recent attacks from the conservative One Million Moms group.
The One Million Moms group, which has asked J.C. Penney to stop working with openly-gay Ellen DeGeneres (an action the retailer has since declined), says they are launching an anti-J.C. Penney campaign because they are mad the retailer is not remaining “neutral in the culture war.” They also said that J.C. Penney’s business would be hurt because Ellen DeGeneres is a lesbian and “most of its customers are traditional families.”
Instead of bowing down to the One Million Moms Group, J.C. Penney has instead teamed up with GLAAD to support Ellen DeGeneres. J.C. Penney president Michael Francis has said that DeGeneres is “one of the most fun and vibrant people in entertainment today, with great warmth and a down-to-earth attitude.”
Ellen DeGeneres addressed the One Million Moms Group on her show on Wednesday. After the 54-year-old comedian spoke about Tuesday’s overturning of California’s controversial Prop 8, a measure which banned same-sex marriage, the talk-show host discredited the conservative group, who says J.C. Penney had a “pro-gay bandwagon.” Ellen DeGeneres said: “Being gay or pro-gay isn’t a bandwagon. You don’t get a free ride anywhere. There’s no music. And occasionally we’ll sing ‘We Are Family’ but that’s about it.”
Ellen DeGeneres also took claim with the group for saying people with “traditional” values would no longer shop at J.C. Penney because of their affiliation with the star.
“I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need,” Ellen DeGeneres said. “To me, those are traditional values.”
