IT SEEMS that horse meat in beef meatballs is not the only scandalous union IKEA is promoting. Now they also have a lesbian couple in their magazine. Of course, this is not something local pro-family groups take lightly, especially given the fact that the Swedish furniture-maker refuses to apologise for publishing the story of Clara and Kirsty, and does not plan to withdraw the publication, as they did with Köttbullar when its identity crisis emerged.
The Family Alliance issued a fiery statement, in which it accused IKEA of “undermining traditional family” and warned the firm that by calling two women who are jointly raising a child a family, it is “destroying its long-term pro-family orientation”. The NGO even claimed the retailer is “disrespecting the Slovak Family Code and openly promoting the depravation of children of fatherly love and care”. When we should all know that “mommy and daddy will forever be what’s best for children”.
The organisation’s call for people to return their IKEA club cards and a boycott of the store has not had much effect. But it would be unwise to disregard the PR stunt altogether. Ever since last year’s ‘Family March’ in Košice, which coincided with the Rainbow Pride parade in Bratislava, religious lobby groups have found new strength.
The Alliance is meeting with parties across the political spectrum, Slovak bishops are becoming more vocal about topics such as homosexual partnerships and gender equality, and the Christian Democrats have stepped-up their efforts to protect “traditional family” with an amendment to the Constitution. Even life-long communist and Social Democrat Robert Fico dedicated a new video promoting his presidential candidacy to the little known fact that he comes from a Catholic family full of priests, nuns and missionaries. Who knew?
Yes, everyone has the right to lobby for their interests. But hopefully the efforts to protect the family against fictional threats by attacking will not spread. Everyone should just sit back on their Kiviks, put their feet high up on the Ektorp, open a bottle of cold Öl Ljus Lager and think – can homosexual marriages or furniture catalogues really harm family harmony?
