A Groundswell of Support for Ellen and JCPenney

(c) The Ellen DeGeneres Show

By now, you've heard the story. An organization calling itself One Million Moms (in fact, a product of the hate group the American Family Association) recently demanded that JCPenney fire its new spokeswoman, Ellen DeGeneres. Their beef? DeGeneres is openly gay.

Rather than highlighting the ignorance of OMM - they do a tremendous job of that on their own - we instead want to applaud the overwhelmingly pro-fairness reaction to this story.

From JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson:

"We stand squarely behind Ellen as our spokesperson and that's a great thing, because she shares the same values that we do in our company. Our company was founded 110 years ago on The Golden Rule, which is about treating people fair and square, just like you would like to be treated yourself. And we think Ellen represents the values of our company and the values that we share."

Granted, given Ellen's popularity, this sentiment wasn't a huge risk on the retailer's part. But it was strong, steadfast, and important. The fact that JCPenney is being rewarded with a flurry of 'likes' to their Facebook page and an influx of sales teaches other companies that standing on the side of what's right is also profitable.

That alone is a significant achievement - for which we have OMM to thank, oddly enough. Like Komen before it, OMM managed to launch a firestorm that engulfed only itself, while flooding vocal and financial support to its intended target. In Star Wars terms, that's equivalent to the galactic emperor arming the rebels with the weapons they need to blow up his Death Star.

Supporters of DeGeneres and JCPenney are making themselves heard. Thousands have utilized social media to share Ellen's humorous and touching response to the controversy:

On Facebook, a page called 1 Million people who support Ellen for JC Penney has gained over 100,000 likes in 24 hours. In other words, more than double the fans for the OMM page, which stands at a comparatively meager 41k. And numerous supporters are creating Facebook events for a buy-cott, encouraging others to shop JCPenney to reward the store for its stance.

All in all, the events of the past week have been a resounding victory for tolerance and compassion. Haters to the left... and board that train back to Bullytown. You won't be missed.

Show your love for JCPenney and Ellen DeGeneres:

-Like and share these Facebook pages:

JCPenney 

1 Million people who support Ellen for JC Penney

-Tweet messages of support to @theellenshow and @jcpenney

-Like and share Ellen's video response to her critics