It’s another foiled attempt for anti-gay group One Million Moms. Earlier this week, the group urged their fan base, which does not have one million members, to boycott Toys ‘R’ Us following the sale of the Archie Comic Gay Wedding issue – the most recent comic book in the series which features a gay couple tying the knot.
Sales for the Archie Comic book issue has nevertheless soared. While Toys ‘R’ Us has not issued a formal statement addressing the boycott, Jon Goldwater, Co-CEO of Archie Comics, says the company is “overjoyed, honored and humbled” by the response to Kevin Keller – the gay character in the comic.
“Our fans have come out full force to support Kevin,” he said. “He is, without a doubt, the most important new character in Archie history. He’s here to stay.”
One Million Moms asked parents to write in to Toys ‘R’ Us to complain about Kevin Keller, explaining, “This is the last place a parent would expect to be confronted with questions from their children on topics that are too complicated for them [the children] to understand. Issues of this nature are being introduced too early and too soon, which is becoming extremely common and unnecessary. A trip to the toy store turns into a premature discussion on sexual orientation and is completely uncalled for. Toys ‘R’ Us should be more responsible in the products they carry.”
While Goldwater says the anti-gay group is entitled to their opinion, he further reiterated, “Kevin Keller will forever be a part of Riverdale, and he will live a happy, long life free of prejudice, hate and narrow-minded people.“
Well, at least he was reading sohmeting. When I was a kid, I loved comic books. My mother used to complain that I was not reading real books (though I was also reading real books as well as comic books). Eventually she realized that anything I read that stimulated my desire to read was a good thing—whether it was comics, teeny bopper magazines, or “real” books. So maybe this young man is on his way to learning the joys that reading can bring!