Blake Mycoskie, the founder TOMS, that cool and altruistic company that puts shoes on the feet of the poor, got into a bit of a jam. Apparently he got confused and ended up speaking at the mother ship of anti-gay misinformation, Focus on the Family.
Blake, says he was unaware of Focus on the Family’s disgraceful record on LGBT issues. That may seem a tad naive and difficult to believe for the tens of thousands of people who read this site regularly. However, let’s give Blake the benefit of the doubt and trust that he does not follow hate groups as closely as we do.
Here is the apology:
Had I known the full extent of Focus on the Family’s beliefs, I would not have accepted the invitation to speak at their event. It was an oversight on my part and the company’s part and one we regret. In the last 18 months we have presented at over 70 different engagements and we do our best to make sure we choose our engagements wisely, on this one we chose poorly.
Furthermore, contrary to what has been reported, Focus on the Family is not a TOMS giving partner.
So there is no misunderstanding created by this mistake, let me clearly state that both TOMS, and I as the founder, are passionate believers in equal human and civil rights for all. That belief is a core value of the company and of which we are most proud.
Thank you Blake for doing the right thing and clarifying what happened. We appreciate you warning future speakers and noteworthy people that Focus on the Family should be ignored and marginalized until they quit their gay bashing habit. Although the group has improved since James Dobson left, Focus on the Family still has a ways to go before its name can be spoken in polite company.
