Mac & cheese conjures images of hot mansex

Kraft, Harris Bank hit for Gay Games support[/size]

By Lorene Yue
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 6, 2005 (registration required)

Two conservative Christian groups are attacking two prominent businesses for taking a high-profile role in the 20006 Gay Games in Chicago.

The American Family Association of Tupelo, Miss., and the Illinois Family Institute of Glen Ellyn are sharply criticizing Kraft Foods Inc. and Harris Bank for each contributing $25,000 to the athletic competition and now want the companies to take a less visible role by removing logos and banners from the event.

"We don't think this is something a big corporation should get behind," said Peter LaBarbera, executive director of Illinois Family Institute, which says it promotes family values.

The groups say that by supporting the Gay Games, Kraft and Harris Bank are in conflict with a public image that portrays the companies as family-based and conservative. It's the first time either group has lobbied against corporations sponsoring the Gay Games and the first time Gay Games coordinators have experienced this type of opposition.

Randy Sharp, director of special projects for American Family Association, said he was shocked to learn that Kraft, the corporate giant behind brands such as Oreo, Tang and Jell-O, would openly support what he considers a "dangerous" and "unhealthy activity."

"When you look at all the Kraft commercials, they all revolve around family and children," Sharp said. "Now if I go buy Kraft mac and cheese, I'll know that part of my dollar is going to sponsor Olympic-type games for men that have sex together."

Sharp said Kraft employees upset over the sponsorship alerted the American Family Association, which he said had never been critical of the company's activities.

Protests so far have been limited to complaints, but they could escalate to pickets and boycotts as the event draws near, Sharp said. "We've got time," he said.

Conceived as a quadrennial sporting event in 1982, the Gay Games are a vehicle to showcase athleticism in the gay community and promote self-esteem, organizers say. Host cities have included San Francisco, Sydney, Amsterdam and New York.

Gay Games VII will be held over eight days next year in July at various sites in Chicago. More than 10,000 athletes are expected to compete in events that will include softball, track and field, basketball and swimming. Event organizers and Chicago officials expect roughly 100,000 people to attend and an economic infusion of between $70 million and $80 million.

Chicago was named the host city last year after negotiations to hold the Gay Games in Montreal failed. Organizers Chicago Games Inc., which was an original bidder on the 2006 games, had two years to round up financial support. A member of the Kraft Rainbow Council, one of many special-interest groups at the food manufacturer, approached the company with the possibility of sponsoring the games.

"We are standing behind our sponsorship," said Alyssa Burns, a Kraft spokeswoman. "It's something we want to support."

The company has declined to comment further on the opposition to its stance.

The City of Chicago, which lobbied to be the host city, also isn't deterred by the criticism.

"We haven't gotten any pressure to take back the games at all," said William Greaves, Mayor Richard M. Daley's liaison to the gay community. "We're fully committed. It's a sporting event and the city is known for putting on world-class sporting events."

Harris Bank also is not wavering in its sponsorship.

"Harris supports a wide variety of community events across a diverse spectrum," said Jen Dillon, a bank spokeswoman. "We are happy to join many other companies in the city's goal with these games."

With Kraft and Harris Bank refusing to budge, the conservative groups want their protests to serve as a warning to other prominent businesses considering sponsorship roles.

Conservative groups have put pressure on other companies in the past. . They forced DaimlerChrysler to pull a Dodge ad from the 2003 "Lingerie Bowl"; persuaded Mary Kay cosmetics to reconsider an ad buy on "Desperate Housewives"; and recently claimed victory for Microsoft Corp.'s decision to withdraw its support of state legislation that would have banned discrimination against gays.

The complaints aren't hindering fundraising efforts, said Tracy Baim, a Gay Games VII organizer and publisher of the alternative lifestyle newspaper Windy City Times. Event coordinators have raised more than $2 million in cash and are continuing to successfully court corporate sponsors.

"In a perverse way, this is very flattering," said Roger Brigham, spokesman for the Federation of Gay Games. "They see us as a large enough movement to command their attention."