• Ad Age, Thursday, April 27, 2006 12:15 PM

A disgruntled shareholder who objected to Kraft Foods' sponsorship of the 2006 Gay Games VII and asked for a proxy statement against the company's involvement was overwhelmingly rejected by Kraft and its investors. Kraft stockholder Dr. Marcella Meyer said Kraft should "disassociate itself" from the Gay Games and any other activities supporting homosexual activities and lifestyle because studies have linked such activity to sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS. She claimed that Kraft's support of the games could make it legally liable in the event that a young attendee decides to "experiment with homosexual encounters and later develops a serious, even fatal, illness." However, at a shareholder meeting this week, her proposal was rejected by 99 percent of the Kraft board, which said the company's support of the games was "well within the scope" of Kraft's overall charitable-giving program, which totaled $85 million in food and financial support last year. Kraft's support consisted of a $25,000 donation to the eight-day event, which kicks off this July in Chicago, where Kraft is headquartered.

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