Published on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 by the Madison Capital Times (Wisconsin)
An Attack on American Girl
Editorial


When they are not attacking Harriet Miers, the president's nominee to serve on the Supreme Court, for being insufficiently biased - or, at least, insufficiently public about her biases - right-wingers are going after American Girl.

Some of the largest radical right organizations in the nation are threatening to launch a boycott against the American Girl line of dolls, which got its start in the Madison area and is now a successful subsidiary of the Mattel toy company.

Conservative activist groups don't like an American Girl campaign that directs proceeds from the sales of popular "I Can" wristbands to support Girls Inc., a national nonprofit organization that describes its mission as "inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold."

With roots going back to the 1860s, Girls Inc. serves roughly 800,000 girls a year, most of whom come from low-income families. The group helps these girls, many of whom are African-American and Hispanic, improve their skills in math and science, get involved in athletics and develop leadership skills.

"Our philosophy is that women should have the right to make decisions for themselves," says Joyce Roach, the president of Girls Inc.

According to the Mississippi-based American Family Association, one of the largest religious right groups in the country, helping girls to be strong, smart and bold translates into "pro-abortion, pro-lesbian advocacy." The American Family Association is urging its members to pressure American Girl to stop supporting Girls Inc., while the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League is threatening both a boycott of American Girl products and picketing outside American Girl stores in Chicago and New York.

The groups want American Girl to stop aiding Girls Inc. until the organization gets rid of an advocacy page on its Web site that says girls have a right to have access to contraception and that girls dealing with issues of sexual orientation should be respected and supported.

The American Girl line of dolls and related books attempt to inspire girls to grow up strong, smart and bold. These values and ideals have been appreciated by parents across the political spectrum, at least until now.

It's clear these conservative groups aren't scared simply by a position described on a Web site. What scares them is the notion that strong, smart and bold women and girls might want to have control over their bodies, their careers and their lives.

Girls Inc. sounds like a perfect partner for the American Girl line. Hopefully, Mattel will not bow to the pressure from the arrogant, headline-grabbing moralists who are always looking for a way to impose their warped worldview on the rest of us.

© 2005 Capital Times