GLAD Sues Walmart Over Spousal Benefits

Via press release:

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) have filed a class action lawsuit against Walmart, charging the retail giant with discriminating against employees who were married to same-sex spouses by denying their spouses health insurance benefits. The Complaint was filed this morning in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and can be read here.

The lawsuit, Jacqueline Cote, et al. v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the first class action filed on behalf of gay workers since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015, and alleges that Walmart violated Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Jaqueline Cote based on her sex. The action seeks to demonstrate how existing federal law can be used to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) workers.

The class representative, Jacqueline (Jackie) Cote, works in Walmart's Swansea, MA store, and was denied spousal health insurance for her wife, Diana (Dee) Smithson. Dee has battled ovarian cancer since 2012. Due to Walmart's sex discrimination, Dee lacked health insurance to pay for her treatment and has racked up a minimum of $150,000 in uninsured medical expenses.

The couple has been together for 33 years.

Walmart: No More Confederate Flags

"This Is White Trash At Its Finest"

NEW YORK CITY: General Mills & Walmart Advertise In 2015 Pride Guide

NYC Pride released this year's magazine yesterday and among the advertisers are General Mills' Cheerios brand and Walmart, the latter of whom was integral to slapping down the license to discriminate bill in Arkansas. Walmart has been trying to years to open a New York City store, but has met stiff opposition from activists and elected officials. See the magazine.

Walmart Apologizes For Refusing To Write "Gay" On Cake For Gay/Str8 Prom Couple

Walmart officials in Las Vegas have apologized after staffers refused to write the word "gay" on a cake ordered for the nationally famous gay/str8 prom couple.

Jennifer Sandoval, who's the aunt of teen Anthony Martinez, says she's overjoyed at all the positive attention her nephew has gotten after his promposal went viral. His straight best friend, Jacob Lescenski, asked him to prom after not getting another date. Sandoval said she went to her local Walmart store on Saturday, located near Nellis and Las Vegas boulevards, to get him a surprise cake to celebrate before the dance.  "It said: 'You're gay, he's straight, you're going to prom, you couldn't have had a better date,'” Sandoval said. Sandoval said the initial associate told her she couldn't write that on the cake because it included the word "gay," and that was against store policy. She then asked to speak with a supervisor. "Supervisor takes my phone, looks at it, and was like stuck for a minute, and she was like, 'OK, I'm sorry, we can't use this'. And then I said, 'I'm going to ask you what I asked her because you're the supervisor. Why can't I use this? I don't understand. It's one word. It's gay,'" Sandoval said.

A spokesman for Walmart says they have no policy against the word "gay" and hope to make it up to Sandoval, who says it's too late now. She left the store with the cake seen above. The refusal was mentioned in the video posted yesterday by Teen Vogue.

Todd Starnes Has The Walmart Sadz

This one is definitely a boycott threat.

Tony Perkins Has The Walmart Sadz

That looks like a boycott threat! (Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

ARKANSAS: Gov. Asa Hutchinson Won't Sign RFRA Bill Unless There Are Changes

Hutchinson opened his press conference by noting that his own son had signed the petition asking him to issue a veto. The influence of Walmart in today's decision cannot be underestimated.

ARKANSAS: Walmart Tells Governor To Veto License To Discriminate Bill

ARKANSAS: Walmart Weighs In Too Late

After a strong social media campaign by activists, late yesterday Walmart finally denounced the Arkansas bill that bans LGBT rights statewide. Via the Associated Press:

"Every day, in our stores, we see firsthand the benefits diversity and inclusion have on our associates, customers and communities we serve. It all starts with the core basic belief of respect for the individual. And that means understanding and respecting differences and being inclusive of all people," Wal-Mart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said in a statement. "We feel this legislation is counter to this core basic belief and sends the wrong message about Arkansas."  Opponents of the ban were weighing a lawsuit to challenge the measure's constitutionality. "It's just another scar on the face of a state that really doesn't need any more signs of an intolerance toward outsiders, toward people that some people disapprove of," said Rita Sklar, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas. The measure was introduced in reaction to an ordinance in the city of Fayetteville, where voters expanded the city's anti-discrimination protections. Eureka Springs in northwest Arkansas enacted a similar measure earlier this month, and Little Rock elected officials are weighing expanding that city's discrimination protections.

Since Gov. Asa Hutchinson refused to issue a veto or sign the bill, it becomes law today and goes into effect 90 days after the end of the current legislative session in the fall. Walmart received a 90% rating in the 2015 HRC Corporate Equality Index.

New York Attorney General: Many Herbal Supplements Don't Contain Listed Plants

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman yesterday announced that an investigation by his office has revealed that 79% of tested herbal supplements sold in several major chains do not contain the plants listed on the labels. Via the Associated Press:

GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreen Co. sold supplements that either couldn't be verified to contain the labeled substance or that contained ingredients not listed on the label, Schneiderman's office said. The supplements, including echinacea, ginseng, St. John's wort, garlic, ginkgo biloba and saw palmetto, were contaminated with substances including rice, beans, pine, citrus, asparagus, primrose, wheat, houseplant and wild carrot. In many cases, unlisted contaminants were the only plant material found in the product samples. Overall, 21 percent of the test results from store brand herbal supplements contained DNA from the plants listed on the labels. The retailer with the poorest showing was Walmart, where 4 percent of the products tested showed DNA from the plants listed on the labels.

Schneiderman's office conducted 390 tests on the above-listed six supplements sold under various brand names in outlets across New York. A spokesman for Walgreens says that the products are being pulled from their shelves. GNC says they stand by the quality of their products but are cooperating with Schneiderman's office. Walmart says they are reaching out to their suppliers and will take "appropriate action." A spokesman for for the supplement industry has denounced the report and accuses Schneiderman of conducting a "self-serving publicity stunt." (Tipped by JMG reader BK)

Headline Of The Day

Details.

Porno Pete: Walmart Is Incentivizing Its Employees To Become Gay & Transgender

Porno Pete is ever so pissed that Walmart gave some dough to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. From a press release published by Christian Newswire:

Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) is alerting the nation to Walmart's increasing capitulation to the homosexual-bisexual-transgender agenda-and is calling on Americans to urge Walmart to stop promoting homosexuality and gender confusion (transgenderism) with its corporate dollars. TAKE ACTION: Call Walmart's headquarters at 479-273-4000 or use their Contact Page to politely express your concerns about Walmart "going gay" and turning its back on godly morality and traditional marriage. "During the Christmas season, we should focus on honoring God and His Son, Jesus, who came to earth to die for our sins," said AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera. "Walmart has done much good in the world - but celebrating politically correct sins - homosexuality and transsexuality -only dishonors God and incentivizes Walmart's own workers to embrace immoral and confused behavior patterns in their lives. Walmart needs to get out of the sin promotion business and at least return to neutrality on the homosexual/transgender issue," LaBarbera said.

Walmart has a 90% rating from the Human Rights Campaign.

NEW YORK CITY: Protesters Chain Food Bin To Walmart Family Condo

Via Gothamist:

Walmart employs 1.4 million Americans, and pays roughly 800,000 of them less than $25,000/year. Because this is barely enough money to live, Walmart workers turn to public assistance, which costs taxpayers $6.2 billion annually. These part-time workers—many of whom are black or Latino and female—cannot feed themselves or their families, so employees hold food drives for their colleagues. To call attention to this cruel reality, a labor group chained a giant food bin to the awning of Alice Walton's $25 million Park Avenue condo. The company earned $16 billion in profit last year, much of it going to the Waltons, America's richest family (Alice is worth $38 billion herself). It is a terrific time to be a giant corporation. Walmart's workers are planning to strike on Black Friday in 1,600 different locations, demanding full-time, steady employment, and a living wage of $15.

Walmart responded to the stunt by telling the press that they pay a "competitive wage."

Walmart Supports New York Sex Parade

Somebody needs to tell the American Family Association to add Walmart to their sex parade boycott list as the retail giant has taken out a full-page ad in the NYC Pride guide. (Tipped by JMG reader Gloria)