Another group has come under fire from the "Religious Right." this time it's the American Girl company because of their affiliation with Girls Inc.
If you're not familiar with these groups, Girls Inc. is a national non-profit that started 141 years ago as Girls Clubs of America. Since the 1990 merger that created the Boys and Girls Clubs, they have existed as Girls Inc. They manage centers where "generations of girls have learned their strengths, explored their worlds, prepared for productive, interesting lives, and offered each other the support necessary in dealing with the challenges of growing up." Their motto is "Inspiring all girls to be Strong Smart and Bold." They serve about 800,000 girls a year, many of them black or Hispanic and most from low-income families. Now, I'll admit I have a bias toward the organization because Cathy worked at their national resource center in Indianapolis for a year, but even with that, I don't think this is an evil organization worthy of the ire of America.
American Girl makes large, expensive, historically accurate and multi-ethnic dolls and associated accessories like books and is a subsidiary of Mattel. Mattel has had a long history of association with Girls Inc., going back to the Working Woman Barbie which included a CD of activities partially written and designed by Girls Inc. They formed a relationship with Girls Inc. after the public backlash from their "Teen Talk Barbie" which uttered such inane phrases as "Math is hard!", "I love shopping!" and "Will we ever have enough clothes?"
Mattel's current venture with Girls Inc. is the American Girl I CAN promise and bracelet. The I CAN promise for girls is:
I can be myself, follow my dreams, and always do my best. I can reach for the stars, lend a hand to others, and be a good friend. I can make a difference! I promise to try.Sounds like a great promise. A great way to teach girls to be Strong Smart and Bold. According to Mattel, the I CAN initiative "supports specific Girls Inc. programs - building girls' skills in science and math, developing leadership skills, and encouraging athletic skills and team spirit."
The current controversy comes from two ultra right wing groups; The American Family Association and the Pro-Life Action League. These groups take offense at some of the things that Girls Inc. is teaching girls and wants all right thinking Christianss" to boycott American Girls until they end their relationship with this evil group. According to the Pro-Life Action League, the things they find offensive are:
- Girls Incorporated supports a woman's freedom of choice, a constitutional right established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 in Roe vs. Wade.
- To make responsible decisions about sexuality, pregnancy and parenthood, girls need and have a right to sensitive, truthful sexuality education; convenient access to safe, effective methods of contraception and protection from disease; and referral to comprehensive information, counseling, clinical and other services that support their responsible decisions.
- Girls have a right to positive, supportive environments and linkages to community resources for dealing with issues of sexual orientation.
So, to these groups, Girls Inc. is probably a bunch of bra burning abortionists trying to turn their daughters gay. They want to think that the Roe Vs. Wade decision never took place and that anyone who fights for the reproductive rights of women are "pro-abortion" and "pro teen sex." They think that abstinence only educationn will keep their kids from experimentingg with sex. Instead, their kids doexperimentt with sex and they have no knowledge about how to prevent sexually transmitted diseasess or keep from getting pregnant. And they want to pretend that there are no gay people in the world.
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