AFA drives cultural change

American Family Association (AFA) will celebrate its 50th anniversary in less than two years. What started in 1977 in my grandfather’s living room has become arguably America’s most effective pro-family Christian organization. In recent months, I’ve realized that our work today continues to be much like that of my grandfather’s efforts some 50 years ago.

My grandfather and AFA’s founder, Don Wildmon, gained national media attention when he fought against the harmful content on television in the late 1970s. His historic “Turn the Television Off Week” was where it all began. He understood that televised sex, violence, and profanity have a negative effect on the hearts and minds of children. (See related story on p. 28.)Fast-forward to today, the threat isn’t just on television anymore.

In technology

One of AFA’s current battles involves urging Apple, America’s third-largest technology company, to take more measures to protect children from being victimized by Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) stored in Apple’s iCloud storage environment.

As of press time, Apple did not have security measures in place to scan iCloud (its online storage service) for such exploitative material. In other words, pedophiles could store child pornography using Apple’s iCloud without the images being detected.

I spoke at an Apple shareholder meeting and put forth a proposal that would force the company to examine the legal and public risks associated with its failure to scan for CSAM material in its iCloud environment. While the proposal didn’t succeed during our most recent attempt, we are hopeful that AFA will continue to gain momentum on this issue.

Against pornography

Just like my grandfather battled to keep pornographic magazines off the shelves of convenience stores in the 1980s and 1990s, AFA is currently fighting a similar battle on the internet.

Online pornography websites fall into this category. By developing age verification legislation, AFA has been successful in targeting online platforms that contain content harmful to minors.

Because of the efforts of AFA’s policy team and other policy groups around the country, roughly 25 states have enacted age verification laws. This means that adults must verify their age before visiting a pornographic website. If the websites fail to comply with this law, the sites are immediately exposed to civil or criminal penalties, depending on the state.

Through corporations

Major retailers have also helped shape American culture – for better or for worse.

In the early years of AFA, my grandfather took on Sears, Roebuck and Company, JCPenney, and other retail companies for airing their commercials during raunchy television shows, indicating their support of such content.

In 2016, AFA launched a boycott of the Target Corporation over its restroom and changing-room policy, which allowed men access to women’s spaces – all under the guise of being “transgender friendly.”

Early in the boycott, Target experienced blowback for its gender-neutral policy and spent millions of dollars adding single-occupancy restrooms to its stores.

Then, in early 2025, after nearly nine years, Target announced that it was ceasing partnerships with various LGBTQ groups and ditching other woke policies.

In the long run, the boycott served its purpose and sent a signal to corporate America that consumers want family-friendly, sane policies – not woke nonsense.

For families

As you can see, the issues that shaped AFA’s early years and the battles we face today are strikingly similar. Today, AFA is just as focused on fighting for America’s families now as my grandfather was in 1977.

We strive daily to carry on his legacy of faithfulness and to remain steadfast to the calling God has placed on this ministry. It is only because of God’s power and provision – through supporters like you who truly believe in AFA’s work – that we can continue.

Thank you for fighting alongside us.