Mickey is a Church Mouse Once Again

Southern Baptists End Disney Boycott Over Benefits to Gay Workers. Southern Baptists have voted to end their boycott of the Walt Disney Co., a move that comes eight years after the group condemned as immoral and "gay-friendly" everything from the company's same-sex employee benefits to the TV show "Ellen."

The Disney resolution, passed in 1997, called for Southern Baptists to refrain from patronizing Disney theme parks and products, mainly because of the company's decision to give benefits to companions of gay employees.

Earlier this year, the American Family Association, a Mississippi-based conservative Christian group, ended a boycott of Disney launched nine years ago over similar issues, including the gay benefits, gay-related events at its theme parks, and violent and sex-filled content of movies made by its Miramax subsidiary. Since the boycott began, Disney and Miramax founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein have agreed to part ways and the TV show "Ellen" was canceled.

Also Wednesday, SBC delegates passed a resolution that encourages parents to investigate their children's public schools to determine whether they are too accepting of homosexuality.

With more than 16 million members, the Southern Baptist Convention is second in size to only the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Resolutions approved by the convention are nonbinding, and all member churches are autonomous in their ministries.

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