Homosexuality: The choice of a new generation?

PepsiCo reportedly donated over $75 million to various causes last year, but now one group is charging that the soft-drink giant has been funding the cause of undermining biblical faith.

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, known as PFOX, a national non-profit group that advocates for former homosexuals, is demanding the company reveal its standards for charitable giving after the group discovered a Pepsi-supported organization urging protests against religious gatherings that contend God can help people leave the homosexual lifestyle.

PFOX alleges that PepsiCo is the leading corporate sponsor of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc., whose recent publication, a Faith Field Guide, urges PFLAG members to protest against religious conferences that feature formerly homosexual speakers.

The guidebook labels the "ex-gay" conferences as "anti-gay," and prompts the protests "to remind people that there is more than one faith message."

PFOX questions, however, why a soft-drink company that has declared itself to be "committed to diversity and inclusion without imposition of personal judgment" would exclusively back one side of a theological debate.

"Why does PepsiCo fund organizations like PFLAG, which issue religious publications urging readers to undermine other religions with which PFLAG disagrees?" asked Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX, in a statement. "Is this the best use of PepsiCo funding?"

According to the soft-drink company's list of organizations receiving PepsiCo Foundation funds in 2009, PFLAG was a recipient of over $100,000.

As WND has reported, PepsiCo, – which produces Pepsi soft drinks, Gatorade, Frito-Lay snacks, Quaker oats and other foods – regularly donates to homosexual groups, sponsored a float in 35th annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade in New York and boasts 160,000 employees represented by its lesbian, "gay", bisexual and transgender resource group.

The company's website even boasts its perfect rating on the 2009 Corporate Equality Index, a scale created by the homosexual advocacy giant Human Rights Campaign, measuring companies with policies beneficial toward homosexuals.

But when one of the world's largest food distributors, with 2009 retail revenues hitting $108 billion, starts using its financial muscle to undermine religion, PFOX contends, PepsiCo's homosexual advocacy has gone too far.

The PFLAG Faith Field Guide specifically states, "When something happens in your community that is anti-LGBT and has a faith angle, consider organizing a response. A perfect example of this is Love Won Out. Love Won Out (LWO) is a traveling conference run by the anti-gay group Focus on the Family.

"Often people in the community will feel intimidated or hurt by just the presence and negative press that conferences like LWO bring," the guide continues. "Reminding them that there are supportive people in the community who are willing to listen is important for counteracting the message of change promoted by LWO."

The guide then goes on to describe how to plan press releases and protests surrounding the appearance of a formerly homosexual speaker.

"Why does PepsiCo continue to fund organizations which hate the ex-gay community?" asked Griggs. "PepsiCo's actions adversely affect its public image, goodwill and stock value."

PFOX is working with MoxyVote.com to enable PepsiCo shareholders to voice their protest and demand accountability from the company.

"The PepsiCo Shareholder Proposal No. 4," Griggs explains, "asks PepsiCo to divulge its standards for funding and account for how the Company's charitable contributions are actually used, a reasonable request."