P&G Responds to Call for Boycott
Charlotte Otto - Global External Relations Officer
Dick Antoine - Global Human Resources Officer
22 September 2004
As you may have heard, P&G recently has been falsely accused and unfairly singled out for a boycott by two organizations. These organizations have incorrectly linked issues related to the legal definition of marriage with the totally unrelated issue of repeal of a local Cincinnati City Charter amendment, Article XII.
On Wednesday, an editorial in the Cincinnati Enquirer provided a clear explanation of these issues and called for these activist groups to "abandon their misbegotten boycott and misrepresentations about P&G."
P&G has not, is not and will not take a position on the legal definition of marriage. We are not in that business.
P&G supports repeal of this amendment for the same reasons that the Chamber of Commerce and virtually every other major local business does (Cinergy, Cincinnati Bell, Fifth Third Bank, Federated Department Stores, G.E., to name a few): because it is bad economic policy. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and other Cincinnati religious leaders and civic leaders also support repeal of Article XII.
As a company, P&G chose to lend support to this effort because we have a strong stake in ensuring that Cincinnati remains economically vital. Having said that, we respect an individual's right to express their view through their vote. Links to more information about Article XII, including positions on both sides of the issue, are provided below:
League of Women Voters Smart Voter Guide
Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Executive Summary
P&G is in the business of improving the lives of families. We take this responsibility seriously, and 100,000 of us around the world do our best every day -- with respect and tolerance for each other and our customers -- to improve lives.
