Macy’s Parade backlash grows with calls for boycott and wild ‘sidelining white men’ claims

The backlash against Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade continues to grow with a right-wing group accusing the retailer of “side-lining white men”, and a petition to boycott the event gaining more than 41,000 signatures. 

The petition was launched by right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+ group One Million Moms.

Adding to the manufactured fury over this year’s parade, right-wing, not-for-profit America First Legal (AFL) – an activist group led by former Donald Trump advisor Stephen Miller – has filed a federal civil rights complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the department store.

The complaint, which was submitted on Tuesday (21 November), claims Macy’s push for diversity among managers is killing opportunities for white, male members of staff.

According to the Daily Mail, John Zadrozny, an AFL lead investigator, said: “Macy’s has, sadly, joined a long list of storied American companies that now prioritise racism over rights.” 

Meanwhile, One Million Moms, which has referred to the New York city parade as a “non-binary and transgender extravaganza”, has taken issue with set performances that will include numbers from two Broadway musicals, & Juliet and Shucked.

Both musicals feature trans and non-binary performers in major roles. 

By 14 November, the group had managed to garner more than 18,000 signatures, a number which has more than doubled in little over a week. 

The group, which does not have one million members, has complained in its petition that the holiday parade could “expose” tens of millions of viewers to the “liberal LGBTQ+ agenda.”

But Macy’s is refusing to bow down and in response told LGBTQ+ Nation on Monday (20 November): “We look forward to celebrating this iconic Thanksgiving tradition again.” 

The annual parade, which first took place in 1924, typically features large balloons of cartoon characters, performances by artists and theatre groups, and plenty of colourful floats. Last year, the three-hour event attracted 27.7 million viewers.

In January, One Million Moms – created by the conservative and Christian fundamentalist group The American Family Association – raged over Disney’s LGBTQ+ content, and launched a petition to hit out at a cartoon called Firebuds. 

Last year, the advocacy group launched a petition against dating site eHarmony.com after it aired an advert that showed a gay couple eating toast and sharing a hug, claiming it was “promoting same-sex relationships”, which pushed the “LGBTQ+ agenda”.