General Mills’ Stance On Gay Marriage Leaves Bad Taste In Some Mouths

Seems the "war on marriage" has a new opponent: Cheerios.

General Mills recently took a stance against a gay-marriage ban in their headquarters state of Minnesota. In response, the National Organization of Marriage is now calling for a boycott against the company.

The Washington-based National Organization for Marriage, created to fight gay marriage proposals, is betting that Betty Crocker would be on their side. Because on Tuesday, the activist group announced a boycott of General Mills, owners of the Betty Crocker brand, which this month announced its opposition to a ban on same-sex marriage in Minnesota, their headquarters."We value diversity. We value inclusion," the food producer said in a letter, making it one of the biggest corporate voices for same-sex marriage.

"In declaring a war on marriage, General Mills is declaring war on their own customers. Now, rather than seeing the flowing 'G' trademark as a symbol of General Mills, consumers across the world will equate that symbol with gay marriage," said Brian Brown, NOM's president.

This seems to be a popular thing to do in the business world now. JCPenney's, Oreo, and now General Mills; there are many companies who seem to be supporting gay marriage. But I'm not so sure this is a smart business move.

As a major corporation, I would think your main objective would be to reach as many consumers as possible without alienating the ones you already have. And taking a stance on a controversial issue like this seems to do the exact opposite. And it's not just gay marriage, this goes for any big issue that has people talking. If you really want to promote equality and inclusion and all that jazz, it may be best to just remain neutral on the big issues.

What do you think? Should major corporations take a stance on hot-button issues?