If you spend any time in Golden Girls fan groups on social media then you know how much everyone loves to post when and where they find merch inspired by the show. It’s no wonder because there’s so much great stuff out there now, from coffee mugs and t-shirts to figurines and pretty much everything in between. Fans just want to be a friend to other fans and pass on where to get the goods! But one place that fans of The Golden Girls really should stop shopping at is Hobby Lobby.
Like Rose, I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt, and I think that a lot of the posts I’ve seen in fan groups are from people who genuinely don’t know why they shouldn’t be giving their money to Hobby Lobby. Target may have had the most press this year when it made the unfortunate decision to pull items from its Pride collection, but Hobby Lobby definitely wins the Grab That Dough of problematic retailers. To start with, the company is privately owned by the Green family who operates ” in a manner consistent with Biblical principles,” according to their website. Which, ok, it’s a free, Capitalist country, and they can run their business that way if they want to. In turn, though, you don’t have to shop there, and here’s why:
Estelle, Rue, Bea, and Betty were all vocal supporters of the LGBTQ+ community, and of course we all know that the show itself was ahead of its time in portraying LGBTQ+ issues. Bea was also well known for putting her money where her mouth was in advocating for important causes, including leaving money in her will to the Ali Forney Center to fund housing for homeless LGBTQ+ youth in New York City. Honestly, it’s kind of surprising that Hobby Lobby even carries Golden Girls merchandise in the first place.
There’s a lot more, but the company’s financial support of hate groups should really be enough for any Golden Girls fan to take their business elsewhere. Let me spell it out for you: basically, Hobby Lobby is like the Mortimer Club of retailers. They might have some cool Golden Girls stuff and free parking, but you’re tolerating their policies—and directly supporting them with your dollars—by shopping there.
Fortunately, there are literally tons of other places to shop for Golden Girls goodies! Five Below, Hallmark, Spencer’s, and BoxLunch are just a few of the chain stores where you can find GG stuff, and you can check out any of my holiday gift guides for lots of links to other retailers. You can also support the true fan community and buy something from an independent creator like Golden Girls Quotes on TeePublic or So Good We Named It on Etsy. Even better, perhaps consider to donating to the Ali Forney Center in solidarity with both Bea and the LGBTQ+ community.
The Golden Girls Fashion Corner 
This is ridiculous. If anything it makes me want to give MORE of my money to hobby lobby. You can be a Christian AND like the Golden Girls. You can be a Christian and accept that there are people in the LGBTQ community and not agree with their choices. It doesn’t mean any ill will is wished on them. Singling out Hobby Lobby and its supporters is JUST as bad as people who single out those who are LGBTQ! You don’t have to agree with something to accept it. You don’t have to go along with something that goes against your own core set of values and beliefs! None of these things are mutually exclusive. What you are doing by writing this article is NO better than what you’re accusing Hobby Lobby of. This is supposed to be a fun page! You had to go and ruin it.
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Hi there! First of all, this is my blog so I’m not ruining anything, but ok. Second, thanks for stopping by and proving the point of my post! Sadly, though, it seems you didn’t read it. I’m not “singling out” Hobby Lobby at all. The fact that they donate to anti-LGBTQ hate groups is public information. And while I definitely agree that you can be a Christian and support the LGBTQ community as well as be a part of it yourself, I do not agree that you can also “not agree with their choices. That “love the sinner but hate the sin” bullshit has no place here, and I know the Girls wouldn’t support it, either. Finally, I did point out that it’s certainly your choice to keep shopping at Hobby Lobby. This isn’t Magda’s Soviet Union, after all. But just as you said as well, I also don’t have to go along with something that goes against my own core set of values and beliefs. Therefore, I’ll choose not to shop at Hobby Lobby, secure in the knowledge that I’ve now informed other Golden Girls fans why they shouldn’t as well. Happy Pride!
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So, in your world there’s no difference from being a large privately owned corporation that dedicates money and resources to limiting the rights and freedoms of others by lobbying for legislation that would restrict their existence and with being a blog writer who writes a post going, “Hey, maybe don’t give your money to these people who are trying to take away people’s rights?” Because, I think to most reasonable people the disparity here is extremely vast. I don’t know why you felt compelled to advertise your bigotry like this but I can assure you it did not have the effect you intended. It did not make you look reasonable. It did not make you look fair. It made you look like a bad person who supports bad people at the expense of good people.
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Besides the LGBTQ issue, I can think of another reason why one may not want to buy any gifts from Hobby Lobby. The thing that you buy may have misleading or wrong information. Years ago, I saw a painted sign for sale with pictures of Navy aircraft. I immediately pointed it out to my Dad, who had been a Marine during the Korean War and was always proud of that. I thought that Dad would like this thing, but he grumbled and said “Somebody didn’t do their homework.” He then pointed at an aircraft on the sign and said “That was an Air Force plane, not Navy.” I’m sure that most civilians wouldn’t care about this, but it is a big deal to anyone who has been in the military. Branch of service is a big deal to anyone who has served, With this in mind, I could see Hobby Lobby selling, for example, a picture of Rose with a quote from Blanche underneath it. People who don’t watch Golden Girls wouldn’t care, but a GG fan would notice the error immediately.
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Now those I agree would be good reasons to not purchase.
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Ok so mistakes on products are a good reason to not purchase but the company’s support of LGBTQ hate groups isn’t a good enough reason. Got it. You still don’t get any lemonade!
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