Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Transgender 'Extravaganza' Sparks Boycott

An online petition is calling for a boycott of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade due to its planned inclusion of LGBTQ+ performers.

The petition was started by One Million Moms, a division of the “pro-traditional values” organization American Family Association (AFA). More than 24,000 people have signed the appeal as of press time.

The annual Macy’s parade in New York City has been one of the holiday’s most famous events since it first took place in 1924. Swarms of people descend onto Manhattan for the festivities, which include floats, marching bands and live performances from popular musicians.

One Million Moms is taking exception to the entertainment scheduled for next week’s event.

“The non-binary and transgender extravaganza on display this Thanksgiving will be brought to you by Macy’s during their annually sponsored Thanksgiving Day Parade,” the petition from One Million Moms reads. “Unless they are forewarned about it, this year’s holiday parade will potentially expose tens of millions of viewers at home to the liberal LGBTQ agenda.”

Newsweek reached out to Macy’s parade organizers via email for comment Monday.

The Tom Turkey float is pictured during the 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, on November 24, 2022, in New York City. A conservative group started a petition against the Macy’s parade for its inclusion of transgender performers.
Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc

Monica Cole, director of One Million Moms, responded to a request for comment with a statement.

“Our One Million Moms ‘Say No to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’ petition has over 24,000+ signatures already and is quickly picking up momentum. Conservatives have signed urging Macy’s to no longer push the LGBTQ agenda in the name of entertainment,” Cole told Newsweek in the statement. “By including non-binary performers, potentially exposing millions of viewers to this liberal nonsense, Macy’s is leaving conservative families with no other choice than to not watch this parade and no longer patronize their stores either.”

She continued: “This holiday tradition is no longer family-friendly and pushing the gay agenda during primetime is completely unnecessary. Our 1MM pledge is picking up traction as conservative and mainstream media and even individual social media coverage increases to warn parents of the indoctrination that will occur during this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. The petition warning will only gain speed as Thanksgiving Day approaches.”

One Million Moms lists some of the performers it finds objectionable in its petition. This includes Justin David Sullivan, who identifies as transgender non-binary and will be featured in a performance from the Broadway musical & Juliet.

The petition noted Sullivan declined eligibility for the 2023 Tony Awards because he objected to the event’s awards being categorized by gender.

One Million Moms also took exception with Alex Newell, a gender-nonconforming performer who was featured in the Broadway musical Shucked. However, it is unclear whether Newell is scheduled to perform at this year’s Macy’s parade.

The group’s petition included another major transgender celebrity who has appeared in the parade. In 2021, singer Kim Petras became the first transgender star to perform in the Macy’s parade, a moment that One Million Moms described as a symbolic end to “this once family-friendly holiday tradition.”

“Shame on Macy’s for promoting and sponsoring this type of entertainment. We still cannot trust Macy’s Dept. Store,” the petition said in conclusion. “It is clear that Macy’s does not have our children’s best interests in mind. Macy’s needs to know that trust must be earned, and once trust is lost, it is difficult to get back.”

The Advocate noted One Million Moms has previously boycotted the toy line American Girl for selling a doll with “lesbian aunts,” as well as objected to the animated feature Toy Story 4 over a scene they said insinuated a child was being raised by two mothers.