On Nov 25th, AP News reported that Swiss watchmaker Swatch won a lawsuit against the Malaysian government after a court ordered the return of 172 Swatch watches that were seized last year due to designs that authorities said bore LGBT elements. Further, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the watches were seized illegally without a warrant. The court ordered the watches to be returned within 14 days and said Swatch can demand compensation if the watches were damaged according to the Bernama national news agency.
Why does this matter and why is this being written about on Gen X Watch?
Gen X Watch News
On April 3rd of 2024, we published a piece called “Swatch and the Adventures of Not Being Too Late in the 80’s and Now.” In that article we reported on the violent and illegal seizure by the Malaysian government and Swatch Group’s intentions to sue.
We reported:
In May of 2023 the Malaysian government violently stormed 17 Swatch stores in their country and confiscated all of their rainbow themed Pride Swatches.
Swatch remembered their [Swiss] history. The history of misguided and oppressive religious forces working with governments to pass unjust laws that affect lives. By July Swatch filed a lawsuit against the government of Malaysia. A government that has arrested and caned many LGBTQIA+ people just for existing.
In an interview with Reuters, Hayek, CEO of Swatch and Swatch Group, said, “We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colours and having a message of peace and love could be harmful for whomever.”
The Aftermath in Malaysia
The government of Malaysia is still deciding if they are going to appeal the court’s decision. In the meantime, they added new laws to their already violent laws against LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors. In addition to the laws in predominantly Muslim Malaysia where simply being LGBTQIA+ can lead to punishments ranging from caning under Islamic laws to 20 years in prison for sodomy under colonial-era civil laws, owning a Swatch Watch may get you imprisoned.
The response to Swatch Group making a legal stand? The Malaysian government banned all Swatch products that contain lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or “queer” elements. The ban was made part of a printing law that includes distribution and possession, amid concerns that such products were “detrimental to the nation’s morality”.
If the Malaysian government feels your Swatch watch, box, wrapper, accessory or other item is too gay you are guilty of harming morality and a threat to the public interest. Anyone found with one of these dangerous plastic watches or accessories could be jailed for up to three years or face a fine.
Bravery in the Face and Christian Nationalism
Swatch Group put their money where their mouth is. We did not get a response from Swatch Group about the costs incurred, but it is safe to assume a lawsuit against an entire nation for the return of 172 plastic watches that retail for $85 USD each was more than the value of the watches confiscated. This was a matter of principal by the CEO of a publicly held company. Nick Hayek Jr chose the responsibility of inclusion and principal over the fiduciary responsibility to stockholders when facing an oppressive government and people.
As reported in our April article, Swiss watches exist because of a stance against religious oppression. After the Reformation, the Lutheran church movement was sweeping across Europe. When John Calvin became the head of the church in Switzerland in 1541 he passed laws in Geneva that banned the making and selling of jewelry. While this was a victory for his religion, it was a loss for families that were multi-generational jewelers. Suddenly, families were no longer able to work.
Refugees from France and Italy saw the plight of the jewelers and wanted to help the people in the country that offered them safe harbor. The refugees wanted to contribute. They taught the jewelers how to make time pieces. John Calvin could claim jewelry was vanity and a slight to god, but he could not deny that time keeping had a purpose useful to the church. The jewelers could work and survive.
Cowardice in the Face of Christian Nationalism
One of the founding principals of America is freedom from religious oppression and tyranny prohibiting you from being who you are as you are. We have enslaved other humans, restricted women of even the right to vote, and other things. But we fight for all to be equal and sometimes move forward. Same-sex marriage became legal in the United States on June 26, 2015, with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. On May 13, 2016, Title IX civil rights were extended to all LGBTQIA+ citizens.
However, former, and about to be next, President Donald Trump reversed the Title IX civil rights for all LGBTQIA+ citizens on Feb 22, 2017 with a stroke of his pen mere weeks after being sworn in. He has promised to do it again as one of his first acts as president. The Dobbs decision not only removed protections for Roe, but opened the pathway for states to remove rights from LGBTQIA+ citizens.
Over 100 anti LGBTQIA+ laws have been passed in the US the last 6 years with over 750 other pieces of potentially LGBTQ+ related legislation introduced or pending in 2024 state legislation sessions.
All of these laws can be traced to Christian Nationalism and oppression, one of the very same things the original settlers and founders of America escaped from.
Do corporations stand up for people or for profit? Target serves as a contrasting example of cowardice as opposed to conviction. Their stockholders show their true colors that even Cyndi Lauper cannot abide.
While Swatch Group was fighting an entire government for principal, Target scaled back their Pride merchandise in June of 2024 buckling not to a government, but to consumer backlash from consumers, many of whom identify as Christians and Christian Nationalists. Target is now facing lawsuits from their investors for having Pride based merchandise.
There are other examples showing the truth of businesses supporting civil rights only if it is profitable and safe.
In Florida they tried to ban LGBTQIA+ books from not only libraries (which they succeeded in doing) but also from bookshelves. Virginia tried to do the same targeting commercial sales of books at Barnes and Noble.
Over the next 4 years it is likely there will be more laws passed in the US restricting LGBTQIA+ freedoms. Some of those laws may restrict what stores can and cannot sell as they do in Malaysia. We have a good indicator as to what Swatch Group’s response will be. We also have a good indicator as what Target and many other retailers will do.
Christmas Shopping and a note as the Editor in Chief
As the editor in chief and parent of an LGBTQIA+ child, none of my Christmas presents to others are coming from Target. However, Swatch has been a part of my Christmas shopping this year. I do not endorse boycotts or cancelling, but I do support personal choices. I cannot allow another dime of my money to benefit the coffers of Target shareholders who will sue against as opposed to stand up for people in the communities of every location they have in the US.
In conversations I tell people this is not a blog and I am not a blogger. I am a Gonzo Journalist who over his career has written for various news outlets and magazines. In our About us page, we outline that Gen X Watch adheres to the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists.
I do not restrict the OP/ED of any of the freelance writers who submit content or us, but I do ensure that what is published adheres to those guidelines. As an Opinion/Editorial driven online publication, we are not bound to be objective. Ronald Reagan’s FCC abolished the Fairness Doctrine which, since 1949, required media to present both sides’ opinions. The GOP ensured that we can express the view of a writer without opposing views just as Fox News can.
One guideline that we feel is precious is #9: “Journalists shall ensure that the dissemination of information or opinion does not contribute to hatred or prejudice and shall do their utmost to avoid facilitating the spread of discrimination on grounds such as geographical, social or ethnic origin, race, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, disability, political and other opinions.”
Over the last month we lost some Patreons. Yesterday we renewed our site domain for another year with less financial support than we had when we started Gen X Watch. We’ve received enough feedback from the ones who do read, who do share, and who do support us, that what we do matters. So we will follow the example of Swatch Group and not Target or the Washington Post. You do not do the right thing because it is comfortable or profitable, you have conviction because people and principal matter.
Stay totally awesome!
Stay true to you!
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