• Ad Age, Friday, March 31, 2006 11:30 AM

Not long ago Ford Motor Co. was criticized and threatened with a boycott by a conservative religious organization for advertising in gay publications. Now a Ford competitor--BMW of North America--faces a similar problem, only with a major twist. BMW's adversary is a gay organization. The advocacy group Gaywheels.com, an automotive Web site, says the German-owned carmaker is hypocritical because while it advertises in magazines that target gays and lesbians, the company does not offer domestic-partner benefits to its own employees. "Gay and lesbian consumers want to spend their money with gay-friendly companies," Joe LaMuraglia, publisher of Gaywheels.com, said. "A lot of people will see companies advertising in gay media and assume they are gay friendly." A BMW spokeswoman said the automaker, in an effort to stay in line with New Jersey laws, does not offer domestic-partner benefits to any staffers. On the basis of the benefits issue, Gaywheels.com compiled a list of some 30 "gay-friendly" and nine "non-gay friendly" auto brands. Companies with non-friendly brands included Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, and Suzuki--all of which have non-American parent companies. The Big Three U.S. automakers--General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler--all fell under the "friendly" banner.

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