American Girl is a wonderful doll company owned by Mattel that finds itself embroiled in a battle with conservatives over their support of Girls, Inc. through donations from every doll sold. Girls, Inc. supports civil rights across the board and that causes problems for those who do not choose to let a woman choose and for those who feel equal rights for all citizens is not a protected conceit in America.

Here’s the mission statement from the Girls, Inc. website:

Girls Inc. has empowered girls for over 141 years, first as Girls Clubs of America and since 1990 as Girls Incorporated. In centers across the country, generations of girls have learned their strengths, explored their worlds, prepared for productive, interesting lives, and offered each other the support necessary in dealing with the challenges of growing up. In addition, since 1992 Girls Inc. has provided over $1.8 million in college scholarships to girls who have become leaders in all walks of life and has played a crucial role in advancing girls’ rights through supporting legislation such as Title IX and the Violence Against Women Act.

The Pro-Life Action League claims this:

The Pro-Life Action League is alerting parents that a seemingly innocent self-esteem campaign launched by the popular American Girl doll company is helping to support the pro-abortion, pro-lesbian agenda of Girls Incorporated.

Enter… Concerned Women for America who say:

The American Girl Doll Company, owned by Mattel, continues its affiliation with Girls, Inc. despite the concerns of customers. Because of this, the American Family Association has joined the Pro-Life Action League in calling for a boycott of the doll company.

Girls, Inc. responds:

Recently, our mission to help girls develop their self-esteem and self-reliance has become the target of false, inflammatory statements from people who are pursuing a narrow political agenda.

Mattel, the maker of the American Girl doll line will end its contribution to Girls, Inc. next year.

I urge you this year to buy an American Girl doll and next year purchase nothing from Mattel and make a direct donation to Girls, Inc. instead.
Being a girl in America today just got a little sadder.

26 Comments

  5. There are lots of private ways to provoke an educational agenda, Dave, as you know — and Liberty has access to that path but can’t sustain it because they can’t profit from that cruel belief in the mainstream. They talk big in public but cannot privately contain that conceit.
    There are so many women stuck in roles that were not their choosing. I feel for them in the total.

  6. I think Addy is my favorite American Girl:
    http://store.americangirl.com/shop/addydoll.php?catid=375913
    Addy Walker® is a girl who escapes from slavery with her mother in 1864. Together they embark on a dangerous journey to the North, hoping one day to reunite their family. Addy® learns to read and write, makes new friends, and discovers what being free really means. Throughout it all, she holds on to her love and hope to get her through the worst of times and keep her dreams alive. Courageous and strong, she is the star of her story.

  7. I think Addy is my favorite American Girl:
    http://store.americangirl.com/shop/addydoll.php?catid=375913
    Addy Walker® is a girl who escapes from slavery with her mother in 1864. Together they embark on a dangerous journey to the North, hoping one day to reunite their family. Addy® learns to read and write, makes new friends, and discovers what being free really means. Throughout it all, she holds on to her love and hope to get her through the worst of times and keep her dreams alive. Courageous and strong, she is the star of her story.

  8. I love Addy, Karvain!
    Thanks for the pointer to her.
    It seems the American Girl line uses history and culture to teach about the unique contributions of specific populations into mainstream learning.

  9. Josefina is pretty fine, too:
    http://store.americangirl.com/shop/josefinadoll.php?catid=375911
    Josefina Montoya® is a girl growing up in New Mexico in 1824. Ever since Mamá died, Josefina® and her sisters have bravely met the challenges of the rancho without her. As they watch the new americano traders arrive from the East, they struggle to hold on to their mother’s love—and the old ways she taught them. Josefina dreams of becoming a healer like her Tía Magdalena. Hopeful and caring, she is the star of her story.

  10. Josefina is pretty fine, too:
    http://store.americangirl.com/shop/josefinadoll.php?catid=375911
    Josefina Montoya® is a girl growing up in New Mexico in 1824. Ever since Mamá died, Josefina® and her sisters have bravely met the challenges of the rancho without her. As they watch the new americano traders arrive from the East, they struggle to hold on to their mother’s love—and the old ways she taught them. Josefina dreams of becoming a healer like her Tía Magdalena. Hopeful and caring, she is the star of her story.

  15. Its unfortunate that Matel has cowed under pressure. Either the managment supports the agenda or the boycott was having an economic impact? I would bet on the former.
    What would this country look like if the religious right accomplished all of their sonservative social re-engineering agenda? Lets take a peek:
    1) Prayer in all schools without allowance for alternative belief systems.
    ir
    2) Criminalization of pre-marital sex
    3) All Death Row appeals filed in the circular file, no pardons under any circumstances
    4) Abortion illegal
    5) Doctor asssited suicides/Right to Death illegal
    6) Round up all homosexuals and other social ‘deviants’ and place them in re-education centers
    7) Separation of sexes in primary, secondary and post-secondary education with strict try rules on courtship protocols, interacial and same-sex relationships forbidden
    8) All socially progressive programs eliminated in favor of faith ‘based’ initiaves
    Pretty scary. I have probably missed some

  16. Its unfortunate that Matel has cowed under pressure. Either the managment supports the agenda or the boycott was having an economic impact? I would bet on the former.
    What would this country look like if the religious right accomplished all of their sonservative social re-engineering agenda? Lets take a peek:
    1) Prayer in all schools without allowance for alternative belief systems.
    ir
    2) Criminalization of pre-marital sex
    3) All Death Row appeals filed in the circular file, no pardons under any circumstances
    4) Abortion illegal
    5) Doctor asssited suicides/Right to Death illegal
    6) Round up all homosexuals and other social ‘deviants’ and place them in re-education centers
    7) Separation of sexes in primary, secondary and post-secondary education with strict try rules on courtship protocols, interacial and same-sex relationships forbidden
    8) All socially progressive programs eliminated in favor of faith ‘based’ initiaves
    Pretty scary. I have probably missed some

  17. Ok Jonathan Fowly, first off who do you think you are to think what you say is always right? By the looks of it your an UN-experienced arrogant college age or younger Liberal. About what you said with your 10 pointless and WRONG reasons. If you were allowed to make what you think is a good world everyone would have aids and most women cancer. Why do you ask would that happen I will tell your closed black rock of a mind. First off instead of having sex with almost every girl you meet and adding more STD’s to the already large list, not having sex reason number
    1.You dont spread and create more diseases!!
    2.You dont cause a women too get an abortion which by getting an abortion makes there risk of getting cancer 80% higher.
    3.You dont have an over population like India.
    4.Students have a better environment(like they used too in the 1800’s before people like you tainted it),but like you would care.
    Now lets talk about the death penalty. By what you say people that commit very, very, very bad crimes should be let back into society to keep on killing until they get caught again. I’m sorry but this isnt fishing we shouldn’t be playing catch and release. Here are the reasons
    1.So they don’t commit the crime again.
    2.So we have less crime.
    3.The law says so.
    Oh now lets talk about the disgusting homosexuals. Now I dont know were you get your Anti-American ideas from but homo-sexuals are criminals. The reasons you say, here they are!
    1.Most gay people have aids.
    2.They rape people.
    3.They kill theyre lovers and others.
    4.They are destroying are country.
    Now lets talk about seperation of sexes in schools.
    One of the best reasons it actually should be that way is many girls are raped. People are Stabbed and beaten. It also keeps from the spread of STD’s and AIDS as well as other diseases. Oh I just remmembered something your other stupid college boy statement doctor assisted suicide. You probably didn’t know but a fewdoctors do this to healthy young people like yourself on purpose, but they are murderers. I think there are many better alternatives to killing yourself and most people do not ask. The doctors decide that there lives aren’t worth living and start giving them poison. Just think, your sitting at home and then you die all of a sudden right in front of your family there was nothing wrong with you except for the fact that the doctor that you needed to die, whoops. So you liberal just soak in the unevitable truth and replace it with your terrorist lies. Its people like you who are going to destroy America the Democrats and the scummy liberals. So full of crap that it covers there eyes from the real truth.

  18. Some might argue that such a personal attack does not deserve the light-of-day, let alone a response. However, I feel that one of the purposes of blogging is to promote discussion. I really wish the commenter would return as I am curious how the beliefs evident in the remarks originated. The impact of the positions is weakened by loose control over language and the inclusions of remarks which seem entirely irrelevant to the thread. That said I will attempt to respond with information rather than a personal attack.
    You are correct that I am young (24 to be precise) and college educated at UC Berkeley. My political ideology was unquestionably in my comment. I frankly don’t understand your claims to everyone having AIDS and women cancer in a progressive, tolerant world. What exactly did you mean by this?
    “first off who do you think you are to think what you say is always right?” :
    This is entirely an assumption, I did not say nor insinuate that what I said was right. I offered an opinion in the hope of promoting discussion of the troubling development introduced in the post. I spoke to a hypothetical world of intolerance that one might argue, as I did, could be the result of the religious right’s insidious crusade to define American life in rigid, narrowly defined terms.
    My sexual habits and sex in general are really irrelevant to the discussion, though I will say that connecting liberalism with sexual promiscuity is unfounded and ridiculous. Conservatives are sexual beings as all of us are. Choosing when and with whom to have sex are personal choices, they are not things that should be dictated to individuals by the state. I respect the limits that you may choose to place on your own habits, however they should not be forced upon others.
    A review of studies by the National Cancer Institute. investigating the link between abortion and increased incidence of cancer in women has shown that any such link is unsupported by the evidence. The few studies indicating a link, which have been latched onto to by the religious right were shown to be poorly designed and controlled. You are free to believe that people should not have abortions, however it is unfair and cowardly to spread misinformation to support your cause.
    Perpetrators of violent crimes should be incarcerated; however, this is decidedly different from deciding that they should die for their crimes. The death penalty is applied disproportionately to minorities, it leaves no room for human-error, its value as a deterrent is questionable, and housing a death-row inmate and supporting the appeals process is considerably more expensive than keeping a prisoner. Please read this for an excellent analysis. Under George Bush’s tenure as governor of Texas he barely skimmed appeals for clemency, usually relying on the often incomplete summary of Alberto Gonzales . Conservatives have a track-record of ignoring crucial information and unusual circumstances that make application of the death penalty questionable in many cases.
    Where are the statistics to suggest that co-education increases the incidence of rape? I believe that co-education enriches the educational experience for both sexes. Separation of sexes at the college level is unlikely to alter sexual habits. This in an important element of the religious right’s position that I find particularly troubling. No amount of restriction or control can deny aspects of being human. I believe that the best course to take to limit the spread of AIDS/STDs in education rather than control. Given information, individuals can make rational choices based on their own beliefs and the available information. Restricting this information and forcing the issue of abstinence leaves individuals without vital information if they choose to have sex.
    I am troubled by the comments regarding homosexuality. Your claim that most gay people have AIDS is unsubstantiated. While in the United States, gay men are at higher risk of infection, over the last decade the incidence of HIV/AIDS in gay men has actually declined while that of IV drug users and heterosexuals has continued to rise. In all cases, HIV infections do not represent a majority of the sub-population. Please see this report on HIV epidemiology in the US. Links between homosexuality and violent crime are unsubstantiated. Rather than destroying the country, gay culture has and continues to enrich it. Many dying urban cores have been revitlized by the influx of homosexuals into the community.
    When an individual has led a happy, productive life, the most honorable and ethical thing to do is to allow them to die as painlessly and peacfuly as medical technology allows. What is the sense in prolonging an individual’s agony and suffering when their death is inevitable? This also comes back to inividual choice. A inidivual’s life, particularly at the end-stages of that life, is theirs and theirs alone.
    I tried to support my positions with statistics/reports where possible. Please add further commentary and statistics where appropriate.

  19. Some might argue that such a personal attack does not deserve the light-of-day, let alone a response. However, I feel that one of the purposes of blogging is to promote discussion. I really wish the commenter would return as I am curious how the beliefs evident in the remarks originated. The impact of the positions is weakened by loose control over language and the inclusions of remarks which seem entirely irrelevant to the thread. That said I will attempt to respond with information rather than a personal attack.
    You are correct that I am young (24 to be precise) and college educated at UC Berkeley. My political ideology was unquestionably in my comment. I frankly don’t understand your claims to everyone having AIDS and women cancer in a progressive, tolerant world. What exactly did you mean by this?
    “first off who do you think you are to think what you say is always right?” :
    This is entirely an assumption, I did not say nor insinuate that what I said was right. I offered an opinion in the hope of promoting discussion of the troubling development introduced in the post. I spoke to a hypothetical world of intolerance that one might argue, as I did, could be the result of the religious right’s insidious crusade to define American life in rigid, narrowly defined terms.
    My sexual habits and sex in general are really irrelevant to the discussion, though I will say that connecting liberalism with sexual promiscuity is unfounded and ridiculous. Conservatives are sexual beings as all of us are. Choosing when and with whom to have sex are personal choices, they are not things that should be dictated to individuals by the state. I respect the limits that you may choose to place on your own habits, however they should not be forced upon others.
    A review of studies by the National Cancer Institute. investigating the link between abortion and increased incidence of cancer in women has shown that any such link is unsupported by the evidence. The few studies indicating a link, which have been latched onto to by the religious right were shown to be poorly designed and controlled. You are free to believe that people should not have abortions, however it is unfair and cowardly to spread misinformation to support your cause.
    Perpetrators of violent crimes should be incarcerated; however, this is decidedly different from deciding that they should die for their crimes. The death penalty is applied disproportionately to minorities, it leaves no room for human-error, its value as a deterrent is questionable, and housing a death-row inmate and supporting the appeals process is considerably more expensive than keeping a prisoner. Please read this for an excellent analysis. Under George Bush’s tenure as governor of Texas he barely skimmed appeals for clemency, usually relying on the often incomplete summary of Alberto Gonzales . Conservatives have a track-record of ignoring crucial information and unusual circumstances that make application of the death penalty questionable in many cases.
    Where are the statistics to suggest that co-education increases the incidence of rape? I believe that co-education enriches the educational experience for both sexes. Separation of sexes at the college level is unlikely to alter sexual habits. This in an important element of the religious right’s position that I find particularly troubling. No amount of restriction or control can deny aspects of being human. I believe that the best course to take to limit the spread of AIDS/STDs in education rather than control. Given information, individuals can make rational choices based on their own beliefs and the available information. Restricting this information and forcing the issue of abstinence leaves individuals without vital information if they choose to have sex.
    I am troubled by the comments regarding homosexuality. Your claim that most gay people have AIDS is unsubstantiated. While in the United States, gay men are at higher risk of infection, over the last decade the incidence of HIV/AIDS in gay men has actually declined while that of IV drug users and heterosexuals has continued to rise. In all cases, HIV infections do not represent a majority of the sub-population. Please see this report on HIV epidemiology in the US. Links between homosexuality and violent crime are unsubstantiated. Rather than destroying the country, gay culture has and continues to enrich it. Many dying urban cores have been revitlized by the influx of homosexuals into the community.
    When an individual has led a happy, productive life, the most honorable and ethical thing to do is to allow them to die as painlessly and peacfuly as medical technology allows. What is the sense in prolonging an individual’s agony and suffering when their death is inevitable? This also comes back to inividual choice. A inidivual’s life, particularly at the end-stages of that life, is theirs and theirs alone.
    I tried to support my positions with statistics/reports where possible. Please add further commentary and statistics where appropriate.

  21. Thank you for your well-argued response, Jonathan, and I would have cheered your original fine comment had I not previously somehow overlooked it. I am sorry it took such a hateful comment to bring your outstanding writing once again to my attention.
    The hateful comment you answered is in violation of this blog’s publication policy but I am glad you were willing to allow me to release the comment from moderation so you could respond to each of the points in the light of day because for a single spoken hatred there are a thousand more that have a life but go unpublished.
    My hope in publishing that hateful comment lives in your thoughtful and intellectual reasoning in response the issues raised and that your writing will somehow enliven the minds of those who may choose to entertain dark and negative assumptions about humankind.
    I thank you for sharing with us today the incredibly bright brilliance of the light of your mind.

  22. Thank you for your well-argued response, Jonathan, and I would have cheered your original fine comment had I not previously somehow overlooked it. I am sorry it took such a hateful comment to bring your outstanding writing once again to my attention.
    The hateful comment you answered is in violation of this blog’s publication policy but I am glad you were willing to allow me to release the comment from moderation so you could respond to each of the points in the light of day because for a single spoken hatred there are a thousand more that have a life but go unpublished.
    My hope in publishing that hateful comment lives in your thoughtful and intellectual reasoning in response the issues raised and that your writing will somehow enliven the minds of those who may choose to entertain dark and negative assumptions about humankind.
    I thank you for sharing with us today the incredibly bright brilliance of the light of your mind.

  23. Its always my pleasure. Sometimes it takes a hateful comment to clearly look at your own beliefs and write them out. On the topic of hateful posts/comments, I have come across a number of blogs that repost misleading/untruthful statements from Stop the ACLU and then don’t allow comments.

  26. Hi- I just want to say that I disagree with all of the comments above, but I do believe that abortion and homosexuality is wrong. I don’t believe that websites such as godhatesfags.com represent God at all! I feel that homosexualtiy is a sin because God says so in his word, the Bible. God loves His people, and He hates sin. No matter what the sin is, if God says it’s wrong then it’s wrong. As for abortion, I also believe it is wrong because that is a tiny life. A human being, a baby, and a little soul not yet given the chance to see it’s mothers face. I’m just saying that the views I have(and others as well) are not just developed within my own thoughts, I beleive this way because God revealed this to us through the Bible. I want to apologize on behalf of any negative encounter with any conservative or Christian you have ever met. Please don’t let them be a stumbling block to God’s love and the chance He gave us to recieve Him in order to have eternal life.-Mel

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