And you thought the Betty vs. Veronica debate was contentious: fresh off their most recent efforts to get an ad for a drain-cleaning product off the air, conservative group/perennial plantar's wart on the foot of mainstream media One Million Moms is threatening to boycott Toys "R" Us for selling a Archie comics issue that features a gay wedding. Right Wing Watch reports that the American Family Association-sponsored group will not shop at Toys "R" Us if the national toy store chain fails to remove the book from its shelves.
According to the sample letter on the organization's website, the moms (presumably all one million of them) take umbrage with the cover, which features Archie character Kevin Keller and military doctor Clay Walker smiling broadly and waving under a banner that reads, "Just Married":
These comic books are sold at the front checkout counters so they are highly visible to employees, managers, customers and children. Unfortunately, children are now being exposed to same-sex marriage in a toy store. This is the last place a parent would expect to be confronted with questions from their children on topics that are too complicated for them to understand. Issues of this nature are being introduced too early and too soon, which is becoming extremely common and unnecessary. A trip to the toy store turns into a premature discussion on sexual orientation and is completely uncalled for. Toys "R" Us should be more responsible in the products they carry.
The letter ends with a plea for the company to remove the issue from their shelves, with the note, "My decision to shop in your stores depends on it."
It's your move, Toys "R" Us. You can satisfy these ladies' demands and change the name of your store to God-fearing Heterosexuals "R" Us; or you can stick to your guns and continue to sell the issue, and perhaps try to piss the moms off even more by changing your logo to Geoffrey the Giraffe engaging in auto-fellatio. What's it gonna be?
