Apple Yanks iTunes from ‘Christian Values Network’
Apple’s known for taking principled stands on all sorts of issues, and now it’s taken another by pulling iTunes from the “Christian Values Network.” CVN, which operates shopping portal CVG.org, raises money for various religious groups through product purchases at over 600 participating companies (including Apple). Think Target, Avon, Netflix, Microsoft, Macy’s, etc.
But according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), five of the religious groups are “active hate groups” (specifically: Abiding Truth Ministries, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, the Liberty Counsel and Summit Ministries) engaged in “anti-gay, anti-women” activities.
The five are certainly controversial. For instance, the founder of Abiding Truth Ministries, Scott Lively, wrote a book titled “The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party,” which attempts to link homosexuality with extreme militarism in the Nazi party, and the Family Research Council actively lobbies against LGBT rights and advocates a one-year waiting period before a married couple with children can legally divorce (excepting domestic abuse).Their inclusion in CVN’s network prompted student (and apparent Apple enthusiast) Ben Crowther to launch a campaign through Change.org, petitioning CVN business participants to “Stop Supporting Anti-Gay Hate Groups.”