Late last week, AM 980 KKMS radio host Paul Ridgeway criticized the decision by Frito Lay to create rainbow-themed Doritos in support of the It Gets Better Project, a campaign founded by columnist Dan Savage to combat bullying and suicide in LGBT youth. Ridgeway called Frito Lay a “Christian-basher,” Dan Savage “wicked” and an “evil man,” and said the whole thing was “promoting homosexuality amongst teens.”
Ridgeway announced that he is boycotting the product and asked his listeners to join in:
“I wanted to make you aware of another American company that has joined being a Christian-basher, and this is really disappointing because they joined being Christian-basher and they’ve become a strong supporter of gay and lesbian rights and their agenda, and the company is called Frito Lay,” Ridgeway told his audience. “You all get your chips there. I’m not buying them anymore. I will not buy their products anymore, but let me show you what the American Family Association alert they sent out about Frito Lay, that read gay activist Dan Savage, now if you don’t know who Dan Savage is, Dan Savage is a wicked, wicked man, leader in the gay rights, but just wicked.”
Ridgeway claimed that Frito Lay will be “promoting homosexuality,” and read off a list of grievances against Dan Savage by the American Family Association, a anti-LGBT hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Ridgeway: But this Dan Savage — listen to this — Frito Lay has announced that Dorito rainbows chips along with rainbow colored bag, all for the cause of promoting homosexuality and the rainbow colored chips will be mailed to anyone — listen to this — who gives 10 dollars or more to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender It Gets Better Project youth initiative. And the organization was started by this notorious anti-Christian extremist Dan Savage but listen to Dan Savage’s background, this is why you need to tell Frito Lay you are never buying their product again until they stop this. I’m going to be writing them a letter. I’m going to send them an email in fact if you go to the American Family Association, AFA, they have a website, you can also do that. It’s action alert at afasv.net and I’m going to drop them an email this saying, “Hey there’s no more…” Because listen to this. In 2000 — you won’t believe this Dan Savage licked the door knob of the office of the Christian leader Gary Bauer and hoped to spread the flu to him and his staff. Can you believe this? In 2012, he spoke at a high school journalism convention where he called the bible bull… and I can’t even say the last word, and then he went on to mock students who chose to leave the auditorium because of his hate filled statements. Just… you can’t even go to his website because the language is so filthy. Then in February 2015, this guy Frito Lay is promoting, Dan Savage accused Pope John Paul the Second of being a child molester and he said, quote, the repair of the statue of John Paul makes him look like he just stuck two fingers in a squeaky clean alterboy. Talk about disrespectful evil, then in March of 2015, Dan Savage told Ben Carson to do something terrible to himself physically to prove that being homosexual is a choice, and you know if you want to, go to to the Family Research Council web page. You’ll see footage of Dan Savage and you’ll just see how evil his actions are, but not only is Frito Lay promoting homosexuality amongst teens, teenagers, but it is backing the agenda, one of the most anti-Christian bullies in America. This Dan Savage is an evil man.
He then blamed the It Gets Better Project, a suicide prevention project, pushing “sexual deviancy” on teens.
Ridgeway:
Frito Lay knows very well what they are doing, it’s condoning open hatred and animosity against people of faith and especially Christians, and making these Dorito rainbows, this company is showing it’s true colors…. We just need to tell Frito Lay no more. I’m not going to buy their chips. I won’t buy buy anything Frito from now on until they turn this around. I think Christians gotta quit lying in the street and let’s just let them run over us, let’s love them and all that. No, let’s say this is wrong. We’re not going to stand by and do nothing. Do you agree?… If any of you been moved to say, “Hey I’m not going to buy a Frito Lay product after hearing they are going to be doing a gay package and if you give 10 dollars to this incredibly anti-Christian, pro-gay pushing teens sexual deviancy, Dan Savage, you’ll get a bag of rainbow-colored rainbow made Frito Lay products.” Are you going to stop buying from them? I’d like to hear your thoughts. Am I being too extreme, too difficult?
Frito Law has been attacked by religious right organizations around the country for its effort to support ending bullying and suicide among LGBT youth. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee lashed out at Doritos last week according to the Huffington Post:
“It is beyond me to understand how a responsible corporation would think that partnering with someone who spews the vicious vitriol that Savage does would be worthy of your corporate contributions.”
He then added, “If it does represent the corporate values of Frito-Lay, then the Christian community needs to be made aware that Frito-Lay has decided to not seek their business.”
A rep for The It Gets Better Project responded to the controversy in an email to The Huffington Post, and wrote, “The It Gets Better Project is committed to suicide prevention and anti-bullying efforts on behalf of LGBT youth, inspired by a YouTube video created by Dan Savage five years ago this week. Unlike Mr. Huckabee, iconic corporations like Frito-Lay are on the right side of history and we appreciate their support.”
Huckabee even went so far as to call the It Gets Better Project a “hate group.”
Paul Ridgeway’s radio program, On the Way with Ridgeway, has been popular with elected officials. In just the last few months, he’s hosted members of Congress including Reps. Tom Emmer, John Kline, and Erik Paulsen. Local elected officials have included Sens. Warren Limmer and David Hann, Rep. Abigail Whelan, and Sheriff Matt Bostrom and Deputy Booker Hodges. Keith Downey, chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota also appeared on the show in the last few weeks.
Here’s the full audio: