J.C. Penney will unveil five commercials featuring new spokesperson Ellen DeGeneres during Sunday’s Oscars telecast, reports JoeMyGod.
Over 43,000 supporters joined GLAAD's #StandUpForEllen campaign earlier this month after a group known as "OneMillionMoms.com, a Project of the American Family Association" -- an organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) -- demanded that J.C. Penney fire ellen simply because she’s gay. Despite that call, however, the retailer stood firmly by its choice in Ellen. Said the company’s President, Michael Francis: “We share the same fundamental values as Ellen. At jcpenney, we couldn't think of a better partner to help us put the fun back into the retail experience.”
As a result of the campaign, GLAAD and all of the participants were also able to start a national dialogue about how gay and lesbian Americans like Ellen can still be legally fired in 29 states, and transgender Americans can be legally fired in 34 states.
Advocates and allies flooded J.C. Penney with support, organizing mass visits to the store to flex their LGBT-friendly dollars. GLAAD was on the ground in New York City where supporters gathered in a flash mob, all decked in pink, to thank the company for taking a stand against anti-gay bias. (See video here!)
If you haven't already, take action now - thank J.C. Penney for standing up for Ellen. Get more background on Ellen and J.C. Penney at www.glaad.org/standupforellen.
The 84th Annual Academy Awards air this Sunday at 7pm ET on ABC.
