Love & Pride Responds To Attack By One Million Moms

Love & Pride, an online business founded to promote education and better understanding of the LGBTQ community, today responds to an attack by the anti-LGBT group One Million Moms.
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"We will always stand by the LGBTQ community; we will always stand on the side of love," says Love & Pride Founder Udi Behr.

Love & Pride, an online business founded to promote education and better understanding of the LGBTQ community, today responds to an attack by the anti-LGBT group One Million Moms related to their recent new expansion of their consumer reach and their support of the LGBTQ community.

One Million Moms, an anti-LGBTQ group that is part of the American Family Association, has attacked Love & Pride in a post on their website,seen here.

The American Family Association has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The following statement can be attributed to Udi Behr, Loveandpride.com founder and designer:

"I was shocked and saddened when our Love & Pride collection, available online and now at a major retailer, was attacked by the so-called One Million Moms, part of the hate group 'The American Family Association.' As a jeweler and LGBTQ ally for many years, this is the first time we have been targeted in such a manner. I am heartened by the support and positive attention we have seen online and privately from consumers across the country.

The Love and Pride collection has always been about love, peace, hope, pride and equality and our goal has always been to bring people together. Our support of organizations like the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Marriage Equality/USA and the Human Rights Campaign is part of that vision.

In fact, I currently have a collection of jewelry from Israel celebrating Christianity and history, a collection in another major mall chain celebrating the inner beauty of women, and a collection I been working on for 12 years that celebrates equality for LGBTQ people.

I do not do this as a political statement but as an artist and designer who cares about our world, cares about all people and wants to promote love and beauty. If you do not agree with that vision don't buy my jewelry. But there is no need to reacts with hate or boycotts.

For me, jewelry is and always will be meant as a way to commemorate beautiful moments in our lives and a way to express love and affection.

The response by One Million Moms is hateful and divisive. Now, more than ever, we must work for a world that has less division and more love, respects diversity and allows all people to express their love for each other."

Love and Pride has enjoyed strategic partnerships over the years with many companies, ranging from Fred Segal to Saks 5th Avenue and worked with television programs like The L Word and Queer as Folk. As a philanthropic and socially conscious business, they have donated over $500,000 to The Matthew Shepard Foundation, Marriage Equality USA and the Human Rights Campaign. The company is also in the midst of an expansion as an e-commerce brand to become a multichannel content-driven marketplace for LGBTQ people and their allies.

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