IMO, they "ended" the boycott, because it had become quite "pointless"
Anti-Gay Group Ends Disney Boycottby Doreen Brandt 365Gay.com Washington Bureau
(Washington) The conservative America Family Association has ended a 9-year boycott of the Walt Disney Co.
The AFA launched the boycott in 1996 when the company began giving benefits to the domestic partners of gay employees. It denounced Disney for Gay Days at DisneyWorld in Orlando and a similar event at Disneyland in California and attacked the company for gay positive films - especially from its Miramax division.
AFA also accused Disney CEO Michael Eisner of pushing the "gay agenda".
"He was involved in a media group that actively promoted the homosexual agenda,'' AFA president Tim Wildmon said. "He was in your face.''
Wildmon says that with Eisner's announced departure from Disney contributed to AFA's decision to end the boycott.
"We feel after nine years of boycotting Disney we have made our point," Wildmon said in a statement on the AFA website. "Boycotts have always been a last resort for us at AFA, and Disney’s attitude, arrogance and embrace of the homosexual lifestyle gave us no choice but to advocate a boycott of the company these last few years."
He also said that the company had "made an effort to clean up its act in the last couple of years," but that AFA will continue to monitor Disney and would reissue a boycott declaration "if the company's positions again warrant such action."
Earlier this spring Disney's ABC television network accepted commercials for another conservative group, Focus on the Family, that touted "family values". The same network rejected an ad by the United Church of Christ that promoted its inclusive policy of accepting gays into its membership.
This is the second major boycott which AFA has ended. Last month it announced victory over giant consumer products company Proctor & Gamble. (story)
The P&G boycott stemmed from the company's support for the repeal of an anti-gay law in Cincinnati, where its world headquarters are located, and from its LGBT-positive advertising.
According to AFA, P&G had spent over $8.2 million in only six months last year to advertise on “Will and Grace” and $2 million for spots on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”<br>
As a result of the boycott most of that advertising was cancelled according to the AFA - an assertion denied by P&G.
But, while it has ended two boycotts, the AFA earlier this month turned its attention to Kraft foods (story) after the company announced it would sponsor the Gay Games scheduled for Chicago in 2006.
Despite threats against Kraft the company reaffirmed its commitment to the Gay Games this week, Gay Games co-vice chair Kevin Boyer tells 365Gay.com
The AFA has a long history of opposing LGBT civil rights. It is a leading supporter of the Federal Marriage Amendment to ban same-sex marriage and helped pass amendments to bar gay marriage in 11 states last November.
In January, it declared popular cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants to be gay. AFA was angry that the character was used in a video for schools aimed at combating discrimination.
