Company now says it would print poster, and that Wisconsin store “misinterpreted” guidelines
Silencing Dissent: This is the Wisconsin Christian News flier that an Office Max in Marshfield, WI refused to print, presumably because it violates the corporation’s anti-“hate” policy.
UPDATE Nov. 8: An Office Depot (Office Max) corporate executive called Wisconsin Christian News publisher Rob Pue to profusely apologize for the Marshfield, WI Office Max store’s refusal to print the poster (at right) for WCN’s “Exposing the Homosexual Agenda” speech by Peter LaBarbera Nov. 16. However, Pue has received no formal written apology from Office Depot, and no assertions that anti-Christian discrimination of this sort will not occur again.
People who contacted Office Depot’s corporate headquarters to complain about the Marshfield, WI incident received a variation of a letter stating the following from Office Depot:
“Office Depot is aware of this situation and it has been addressed. A representative of the company previously contacted the customer to explain that the decision to decline to print the order was made by an associate who misinterpreted our policy regarding the types of items that we will print.
“When reviewed at the corporate level, it was determined that the order did not violate the policy and our representative contacted the customer to apologize. We also offered to complete the order in question, or provide a future order at no cost.
“Store leadership has also re-trained the associates at that location to ensure that our customers have a positive experience in the future.”
AFTAH contacted the Marshfield Office Max Nov. 6 and was told by Print Supervisor Jeffry Costigan that he would now print the identical poster (above) that he and the store had previously rejected.
Said Pue, who is still considering legal action: “While I DID receive a phone call from a man at corporate headquarters, and while he DID apologize for the incident, he ALSO told me he would be emailing me immediately a formal apology, and statement indicating that Office Max/Depot will NOT discriminate against Christians (specifically) in the future. To date, I have received nothing in writing.”
— PL
Best Contact Info for Office Depot (Office Max): we heard from someone who called Office Max’s (Office Depot’s) HQ and this is the best way to reach them: call 561-438-4800, then hit Option #2. From there, hit “0” and ask for the “Executive Consumer Relations Department” and you will be able to leave them a detailed voicemail message.–PL
TAKE ACTION: contact Office Depot (Office Max): National HQ [see “Update” above]: 1) online contact page; 2) 800-GO-DEPOT (800-463-3768); 3) Local Marshfield, WI Office Max store: 715-389-8820.
Note from AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera:
Folks, add this story to your “Intolerant Gay Activists” file. An Office Max in Marshfield, Wisconsin has refused to print a flier submitted by Wisconsin Christian News (WCN) advertising my upcoming speech on the “homosexual agenda” November 16.
WCN publisher Rob Pue Pue created a poster for the event with a (LGBTQ activist) “rainbow flag” covered by the words, “The Homosexual Agenda EXPOSED!” and submitted it Oct. 25 to his local Office Max, which had printed many fliers for him in the past, for various conservative cultural events. He also submitted a Veterans Day poster for printing.
Initially “Eric” from Office Max sent Pue an email saying that they could “definitely” print both posters and that they would be ready by 10:00 AM the next day. But that morning (Oct. 26), Pue instead received another email from Store Manager Jeff Schweiger informing him that while the store could print the veterans poster, “we are unable to print the first print” advertising LaBarbera’s speech.
When Pue inquired as to why the poster could not be printed, he received another email, this time from Print Supervisor Jeffry Costigan, which read:
Good morning Rob,
Unfortunately we will not be able to print the contents of the poster for Peter Labarbera.
The contents of the poster falls under the prohibited guidelines of our company’s Duplication procedures.
We will be able to print the second request for the Veterans poster.
Pue then requested the Office Max (owned by Office Depot) “prohibited guidelines” policy but instead of sending him the “prohibited guidelines” he had previously cited, Costigan simply replied:
Dear Mr. Pue,
I stand by the decision not to duplicate your material.
If you have anymore questions, I request that you contact OfficeMax at 1-800-GoDepot.Again thank you for your understanding.
Jeffry A. Costigan
Print Supervisor| Office Depot, Inc.
1629 N. Central Ave, | Marshfield, WI. 54449
Tel: (715) 389-8820 | ods06637cpc@officedepot.com
Pue is now weighing possible legal action against Office Max (Office Depot), which has previously been in the news for refusing to print a pro-life flyer. In 2015, a Chicago-area Office Max refused “to make 500 copies of a flyer featuring a pro-life prayer—that calls for the conversion of Planned Parenthood—that was written by a Catholic priest,” CNS News reported.
The company relented but stood by its right to refuse print jobs based on its “hate” policy prohibiting “the copying of ‘hate material’ that advocates for the persecution of groups of people, regardless of the reason.”
Pue told AFTAH, “By refusing to do the job, Office Max proved my point, that there is a homosexual agenda. There is no ‘hate’ in that poster, and our speaker is not about ‘hate’ but Christian love and truth.”
Pue and LaBarbera appeared as guest Wednesday on the VCY America program “Crosstalk,” which reaches several states, to discuss the Office Max rejection of the Wisconsin Christian News poster.
