Gay Activists Won’t Let Glenwood Methodist Church Look the Other Way

“Just look the other way.  If you have moral objections, you don’t have to participate. Just live and let live.”

That’s what Christians have been told over and over again.  When we’ve objected to risqué shows on TV, they told us to change the channel.  When communities oppose adult-oriented businesses, they tell us to just drive on by.  The makers of violent videogames urge people who don’t like the games not to play them.

Well now that’s not good enough. Gay activists recently announced plans to host an event at Magic Springs theme park on Gay Pride Day. When the First Methodist Church of Glenwood urged its members to just drive on by Magic Springs, they were shouted down.

The church Facebook page simply said, “Please avoid taking your children to Magic Springs on June 30th.  It is LGBT Pride Day.”

Gay activists immediately attacked the church claiming they had said LGBT individuals are going to Hell.   Of course the church never implied such a thing, but biased news reports and the nature of social media comments prompted the church to shut down its Facebook page and refuse media interviews.

Now, let’s stop and think for a minute.  If the church had urged its members to avoid a rock concert at Verizon Arena or to avoid Florida’s Panama City Beach during Spring Break, nothing would have been said about it.  How is Gay Pride Day any different?  If a church can’t urge its members to engage in what it believes to be good behavior, what have we come to?

So much for live and let live.  I guess when it comes to gay pride, looking the other way is not allowed.

Photo Credit: By Glen Gaboury.

AFA Launches Petition Urging Walgreens to Reconsider Policies

Recently we learned Walgreens has decided to follow in Target’s misguided footsteps by letting men enter the women’s restrooms in its stores.

Last week the American Family Association unveiled a petition urging Walgreens to reconsider. So far more than 84,300 people have signed it.

AFA writes,

Walgreens’ new policy welcomes men into women’s restrooms

In a shocking policy announcement, Walgreens has now directed its stores to allow men full and unrestricted access to women’s restrooms in all of its 8,100 stores.

On Nov. 17, 2017, Walgreens distributed this memo stating, “All individuals have a right to use restroom facilities that correspond to the individual’s gender identity, regardless of the individual’s sex assigned at birth.”

The policy came as the result of being pressured by the ACLU of Southern California.

Since a similar public policy was announced by Target Stores, Inc. two years ago, dozens of women and children have been victimized by male predators inside Target stores.

Walgreens’ new policy could potentially result in female customers becoming victims of voyeurism, sexual assault and physical attack.

1. Sign our petition urging Walgreens to immediately reverse its dangerous policy that allows men unrestricted access into women’s restrooms.

2. To make your voice heard even more, please call Walgreens’ corporate office at 1-800-925-4733 and share your concerns.

3. If you are a Walgreens’ customer, let your local store manager hear from you. You can find the local store number here.

You can sign AFA’s petition here.

Photo Credite: By Anthony92931 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Walgreens Follows Target’s Lead With Misguided Bathroom Policy

According to news sources, pharmacy giant Walgreens recently adopted a company-wide policy similar to Target’s letting men enter women’s restrooms — and vice versa — in its more than 8,000 stores.

The policy reportedly was implemented after one customer in California complained about being barred from entering the women’s restroom.

Apparently Walgreens hasn’t learned from Target’s mistake.

Since rolling out its bathroom policies nearly 2 years ago, more than 1.5 million people have signed the American Family Association’s pledge not to shop at Target, and the retailer’s stock price has tumbled from nearly $83 per share in 2016 to $73-$74 per share as of this morning.

In December Target announced plans to close 12 of its larger stores in 2018. According to CNBC, the stores are located in Minnesota, Kansas, Michigan, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, and Texas.

Even Target’s management has acknowledged that letting men enter the women’s restrooms and changing areas at its stores has been bad for business. However, the CEO has stopped short of saying the policy itself is bad.

Policies like these not only are bad for business. They’re bad for customers. Giving men an excuse to loiter in or around women’s restrooms or changing areas puts women and children at risk.

For example, last year a New Jersey man allegedly videotaped women in the changing area of a Target store.

A few months earlier a different man was caught photographing women in a Target store’s changing area as well.

In 2016 Seattle man entered the women’s locker room at a pool twice — once while a girls’ swim team was present. When confronted, he told staff, “the law has changed, and I have a right to be here.” No action was taken against the man.

These are the sorts of problems that happen when businesses let men enter women’s restrooms. However, that doesn’t seem to be stopping Walgreens from following in Target’s misguided footsteps.

Photo Credite: By Anthony92931 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.