The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will come and go like every other year — even if 40,000 people sign a petition calling for a boycott.
An online petition by One Million Moms is calling on viewers to avoid the annual Turkey Day float fest due to the apparent inclusion of non-binary participants, but the boycott campaign — which has about 39,000 signatures as of Nov. 20 — is already fizzling out.
According to the New York Times, Macy’s declined to comment on the petition but said the parade would move forward as planned.
“We look forward to celebrating this iconic Thanksgiving tradition again next week,” a spokesperson said. Macy’s did not immediately respond to Gay City News’ request for comment on Nov. 20.
The group One Million Moms is a ministry of the American Family Association and is known for its controversial protests against the LGBTQ community in entertainment media.
“The non-binary and transgender extravaganza on display this Thanksgiving will be brought to you by Macy’s during their annually sponsored Thanksgiving Day Parade,” One Million Moms wrote on its online petition. “Unless they are forewarned about it, this year’s holiday parade will potentially expose tens of millions of viewers at home to the liberal LGBTQ agenda.”
The petition goes on to name non-binary people expected to participate in this year’s parade, including Justin David Sullivan and Alex Newell.
“Shame on Macy’s for promoting and sponsoring this type of entertainment,” the petition states. “We still cannot trust Macy’s Dept. Store. It is clear that Macy’s does not have our children’s best interests in mind. Macy’s needs to know that trust must be earned, and once trust is lost, it is difficult to get back.”
One Million Moms has a sign-up form encouraging people to add their name to a pledge rejecting the parade.
“I do not agree with the LGBTQ agenda you are pushing on families during your Thanksgiving Day Parade,” the pledge reads. “My family and I will not watch this indoctrination. Since this event goes against our beliefs and values, Macy’s has left conservative and Christian families with no choice but to avoid the parade and its stores, even during the holiday season. My family will not support Macy’s; you have lost our trust.”
The parade is slated to take place in Manhattan on Thanksgiving morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. The parade begins at West 77th Street and Central Park West and heads south along the edge of Central Park. At Columbus Circle, the parade will shift east before heading south on Sixth Avenue. The parade concludes at Macy’s Herald Square. NBC will provide live coverage of the parade.
