# Thanks, Ohio legislature, now I know where not to go on vacation. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 4, 2004, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454 "2004-02-04T06:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/61 "2004-02-06T02:13:05Z")
BTW, we briefly considered having the reception at the Farm banquet hall, which is in Bill Seitz’s district. But fuck him, and fuck the assholes who elected him. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/62 "2004-02-06T02:28:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Not that any individual will ever put a dent in their pocketbooks, but you might want to check your cabinets for products such as Tide, Downy, Cheer, Febreze, Cascade, Dawn, Joy, Bounty, Puffs, Charmin, Secret, Sure, Cover Girl, Max Factor, Pantene, Pert, Herbal Essences, Vicks, Metamucil, Pepto Bismol, Crest, Scope, Fixodent, Pampers, Luvs, Folgers, Pringles, SunnyD, Iams, Eukanuba, or any of the other over 300 products manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Shayna, You might want to do a little research, oh like making a phone call to company headquarters to inquire about their benefits, before posting such a call to arms. P&G has recognized and provided benefits for same sex couples (aka “domestic partners”) for years. The state legislature’s decision does not apply to private corporations. ---
**Author:** ![Skillet38](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Skillet38](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skillet38)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/63 "2004-02-06T02:57:53Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > If I may speak for my tribe for a moment, honey, we have _seen_ heterosexuals and for the most part we don’t want 'em. sounds like you understand Ohio’s point of view then 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/64 "2004-02-06T03:21:19Z")
I wonder if I’ll live to see when the majority of people see this as the pure bigotry that it is. I can only hope that someday this is seen to be as heinous as denying blacks the right to vote. Or at the very least, as a ridiculous attempt to impose religous values on others, flying in the face of the concept of separation of church ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/65 "2004-02-06T07:00:46Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Shayna, You might want to do a little research, oh like making a phone call to company headquarters to inquire about their benefits, before posting such a call to arms. P&G has recognized and provided benefits for same sex couples (aka “domestic partners”) for years. The state legislature’s decision does not apply to private corporations. I’m surprised after all these years here that so many people have such a hard time following the flow of conversation in context. I did not post a “call to arms.” I responded to a specific statement by a specific poster (the OPer) regarding _his_ desire “not to spend one fucking penny in [Ohio] that might end up in [their] coffers to spend on more bigoted proposals,” by suggesting that if that’s what _he_ wanted to accomplish, checking for those products in his home would be one place to start towards that goal. I also never once said I wished to punish Procter & Gamble solely, and in fact specifically stated that it was _not_ about punishing them at all, but about revenue flow into the State of Ohio. As a matter of fact I read through everything I could find on their website regarding employment and benefits and found no mention of their policy whatsoever. I don’t have any kind of obligation to _phone_ them just because I happen to point out that they’re located in Ohio and the purchase of their products will do exactly what the OPer was attempting to avoid. I’m pleased as punch to learn that they opposed this legislation and that they treat their employees equally and fairly. Kudos to them. Seriously. And I appreciate the opportunity to have had that fact brought to my attention by the people here who were able to uncover that information. And in fact, knowning that certainly creates somewhat of a conundrum – how does one go about affecting the revenues of the State, without adversely affecting the revenues of companies within that state who are equally opposed to the legislation inspiring the outrage in the first place? Everyone needs to answer that moral dilemma for themselves. However, that still doesn’t change the fact that if the OPer wishes to reduce or eliminate his spending in the State, he’s going to have to stop buying products manufactured there, whether or not they’re produced by companies who share his disdain. Tough call, to be sure. But no reason to be nasty about it. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/66 "2004-02-06T07:39:25Z")
> [@vanilla](#): > > People just don’t get it. > No christian I know in real life is for this. > I feel alone in my opinion. If it helps you any, my oft-cited father the monk (that would make an interesting sitcom…) is fairly well as pro-gay marriage as I am, though he obviously has religious (but not secular not legal) objections to some of the things I find (and have found:D) perfectly acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/67 "2004-02-06T08:37:14Z")
> [@sperfur](#): > > I would agree with you if you hadn’t started off with ‘It is just state agencies.’ It’s so much more than that. The message of hatred this bill is sending makes me sick. I was answering the specific question about the extent of the ban that Guinastasia asked. I certainly wasn’t implying that it was okay since it only applied to state agencies. Lok ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/68 "2004-02-06T14:19:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \ I was glad I could finally abandon my boycott of (P&G) products when they stopped doing animal testing. Oh well, I got so used to buying other brands that I don’t use too many of their products anymore, anyway. Although I will miss my Pepto Bismol. Shayna, it was you who lamented the fact that you’d miss Pepto Bismol. I simply pointed out that it was a bit irresponsible for you to boycott a company which has extended benefits to domestic partners for years, if your goal is the advancement of gay rights. Now if you want to boycott P&G for doing animal testing, go at it. I don’t know where you heard that they don’t do animal testing any more, but that is not the case. P&G is in the pharmaceutical business, among other things, and there are no pharmaceutical companies in existence in the United States that do not perform animal testing. The FDA won’t approve human testing on new drugs without seeing the animal test data first. P&G also owns Iams, and as part of that business they obviously test food on cats and dogs. Now back to the state of Ohio, FWIW Taft’s days are numbered. He has alienated every possible group in Ohio, including hard core republicans like my father who would have voted for a flea over Bill Clinton. IMO the various states and cities passing these laws are the last desperate attempts of the old guard to try and maintain control. Most people my age or younger are either supportive or ambivalent about gay marriage, so it’s just a matter of time before these hysterical measures are overturned. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/69 "2004-02-06T16:41:32Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Shayna, it was you who lamented the fact that you’d miss Pepto Bismol. I simply pointed out that it was a bit irresponsible for you to boycott a company which has extended benefits to domestic partners for years, if your goal is the advancement of gay rights. No, you didn’t. You chastised me for putting out a “call to arms” that I never put out. You nastily accused me of not making the effort to investigate a claim that _I did not make_. Indeed, I lamented that I’d miss Pepto Bismol, since, like the OPer, I wished to curtail any spending that created revenues for the **State of Ohio**. It has nothing to do with Procter & Gamble, or whether or not they support gay rights, or whether or not they do animal testing. And yes, I’m fully aware that every company that produces pharmaceuticals is required by the government to perform certain tests on animals. However, P&G long ago dropped their non-required animal testing on their household products, which is what I was talking about. As a matter of fact, I got that information directly from their website when I researched it quite some time ago in order to determine if a boycott of their products based on _that_ practice was still warranted. > [@](#): > > Procter & Gamble no longer uses animals in evaluating the safety of our non-food, non-drug consumer products except when required by law. But that’s a completely irrelevant hijack. The bottom line is, for the last time, if the OPer wishes to reduce or eliminate any spending in Ohio in an effort to reduce the amount of revenue they have to support this kind of legislation, he’s going to have to stop buying products produced there. Period. Whether or not the companies that produce them are also against this legislation. Now, he is certainly free to decide that the minimal amount of tax revenue the State will see from him buying products from Ohio manufacturers is overridden by his support of those same companies who use their revenues to actually fight said legislation. There’s a legitimate argument to make on that side, as well. As I said, it creates quite a conundrum. That hardly makes it “irresponsible” to choose one tack over the other, as they both have legitimate beneficial results in addition to their adverse effects. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/70 "2004-02-07T02:52:47Z")
here’s a list of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Ohio, in order of size: 1. Kroger (includes Kroger, Ralph’s, Hilander, King Soopers, Dillon’s. City Markets, Smith’s Food & Drug Stores, Fry’s, QFC, Kessel Food Markets, Calla Foods/Bell Markets, Owen’s, JayC Food Stores, Gerbes, Payless Super Markets and Baker’s). 2. Cardinal Health 3. Procter & Gamble (includes, Luvs, Pampers, Bounty, Crest, Tide, Dawn, Ivory, Cascade, Pringles, Covergirl, Max Factor, Clairol, Pepto Bismal, Puffs, Charmin, Mr. Clean, IAMS/Eukanuba, Bounce, Downy, Jif, Sunny Delight, Folgers, Millstone, Gain, Cheer, Swiffer, Tampax, Always and more I can’t remember off the top of my head). 4. Nationwide Insurance 5. American Electric Power (AEP) 6. Federated Department Stores (includes Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Goldsmith’s-Macy’s, Burdines-Macy’s, Rich’s-Macy’s, Lazarus-Macy’s, Macy’s-West and Macy’s-East). 7. Goodyear Tires and Rubber 8. First Energy 9. Cinergy 10. Dana (auto parts) 11. Progressive Insurance 12. Limited Brands 13. National City Corporation (Banking) 14. Eaton (Electronics) 15. Fifth Third Bancorp 16. Parker Hannifin (Industrial and Farm Equipment) 17. Key Corp (Banking) 18. Owens-Illinois (Packaging) 19. NCR (Computers, Office Equipment) 20. Sherwin Williams 21. OM Group (Chemicals) 22. Owens Corning 23. Office Max 24. AK Steel 25. Big Lots I would have gone through the next 500, too, but couldn’t without a subscription. Note that you can have a lot bigger impact if you’re a buyer, or knows someone who is, for a large company that deals with these groups. Interestingly I saw that the Cincinnati Convention Center is hiring a VP of sales, which won’t be an easy job in the coming months, I suspect. And if you really do decide to boycott any of these companies, you have to write to them and let them know what you’re doing. Otherwise they won’t notice, or at best would attribute a loss in sales to something else. ---
**Author:** ![sperfur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9adbd/32.png) [@sperfur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sperfur)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/71 "2004-02-08T21:38:56Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > I was answering the specific question about the extent of the ban that Guinastasia asked. I certainly wasn’t implying that it was okay since it only applied to state agencies. Ah. Well, my apologies for misunderstanding. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/72 "2004-02-09T14:57:29Z")
I was further peeved to read Gov Taft’s statement on why he signed the law. He said that parents and families were under ‘constant attack’ and they needed protection. To which I say sure, it’s hard being a parent in this day and age, but I’ve thought long and hard about the challenges my husband and I face and I can’t identify a single one of them that originates with gays, the gay community, the homosexual “agenda,” or any same-sex couple wanting any sort of benefit. It’s a stupid, stupid justification and a pretty flimsy way to package this thing. Helping families, my ass. ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/73 "2004-02-09T15:14:55Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Hell, I’m homosexual and I haven’t dived headlong into every homosexual debauchery ever imagined by mankind! Surely that’s out of a deep respect for the Religious Right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454/74 "2004-02-09T17:57:32Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Where’s **Esprix** when I need him? I wants me some queer lovin’, and I want it now! Sorry, there, **Shib** - **Q** would never forgive me. Maybe the next lifetime? 😉 Esprix [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-ohio-legislature-now-i-know-where-not-to-go-on-vacation/227454.md?page=3)