The Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, Walgreens, and PFLAG (Parents and Families of Lesbians and Gays) are teaming up to bring parents and similarly wonderful people of the United States “Care With Pride,” a multi-pronged campaign focused around gay pride to help end bullying. The campaign was announced at PFLAG’s annual gala in New York City this past April.
This is important, because it involves Ellen’s Mom. You know Betty, right? Betty DeGeneres. Of course you do.
Ellen’s Mom is the best Mom since Debbie Novotny. She wrote a book that could potentially convince your Mom to love you again, she’s extra-cute, and every time she opens her mouth something tender and lovely comes out. She explains:
“Children can only learn when they feel safe in school, and it is our job—as parents, family members, friends, teachers—to create an environment where all students can get the education they deserve, free from the fear that they will be physically or emotionally harmed.”
The “Care With Pride” effort will have several steps, each of which will take place in various areas of the US: marketing presences in LGBT publications and other media, over 500 in-store displays, posters, signage, and shelves about the initiative and bullying at Walgreens locations, one million Safe School Action Packs distributed to consumers, and presences at over forty Pride festivals. The campaign is housed online at walgreens.com/pride, where you can see a full list of participating brands, planned Pride appearances, and PFLAG tips to help end bullying.
The campaign will help raise at least $200,000 (and up to $300,000) to support PFLAG’s efforts to work directly with schools providing support, resources, training, model policy and creative programs to create an environment of respect for all children. For every Care With Pride coupon or offer redeemed, PFLAG’s Safe Schools for All program will get $1 from Johnson & Johnson.
Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG National, said funding from this effort will increase PFLAG’s functioning capability when it comes to working with schools to provide support, resources, training, model policy, and creative programs around ending bullying.
Obviously our default mode here is that all corporations are evil now and forevermore, but as corporations go, Johnson & Johnson is kinda kicking ass! This is the part where we “fully disclose” and mention that Johnson & Johnson has partnered with this website to promote ob tampons and that it was in the news lately for its lesbian-inclusive KY Intense ads featuring a lesbian couple. Johnson & Johnson has always scored high on the HRC’s Equality Index and is committed to using women-and-minority-owned businesses as suppliers. This year Johnson & Johnson has undertaken a company-wide initiative to reach the GLBT community across all brands. It’s an unprecedented move for a company of their size and its effects are tangible.
Targeting gay and queer folk in advertising is nothing new – but when two Fortune 500 corporations are partnering with PFLAG to keep LGBT kids safe, you can’t help but notice that it’s never been done before. And you can’t help but be grateful that someone decided to do it.
