Target under fire from gay rights advocates

Target stores gay friendly reputation has taken a real "shellacking" lately, if leading cultural indicators can be trusted.

Last year the firm had to apologize for donating corporate funds to MN Forward, a political action committee that supported anti-gay candidate Tom Emmer in his run for governor of Minnesota.

The apology and offering gay groups a 20 percent hike in charitable donations, up from $400,000 to $500,000, seemed to make little difference - the anti-Target groups on Facebook and the web sites that support those groups continue to grow.

Later that year, the Awl reported that "Target continued to make contributions to antigay political candidates after the company apologized for it during an uproar this summer...

"According to documents filed with the FEC in October 2010, Target continued donating to a bevy of anti-gay politicians even after Steinhafel apologized and committed to reforming the review process for future political donations," reports The Awl.

"These donations even included some of the same anti-gay politicians the company had already been criticized for supporting."

Early last month Target sued San Diego marriage equality activists to prevent them from canvassing about gay marriage outside its store in Poway.
Upon filing, Target was denied a temporary restraining order against the group, Canvass for a Cause.

Target denied the suit's connection with the group's cause, saying in a statement to the AP, "Our legal action was in no way related to the cause of the organization and was done so to be consistent with our long-standing policy of providing a distraction-free shopping experience by not permitting solicitors at our stores."

In direct response to these activities, gay icon Lady Gaga nixed a deal with the retailer to sell an exclusive version of "Born This Way" at Target stores.
The advocate reported that a source told them, "She and Target didn't see eye to eye on Target's policy of political donations and how they affect the LGBT community."

The boycott of Target stores that centered here in West Hollywood last summer continues, although not at the fever pitch of mid-term election season.

WeHo Mayor John Duran still publicly proclaims his feelings - he will not step into a Target after that first donation to Minnesota's Emmer, repeating it for the LA Times last week.

"I am one of those people now that no longer shops at Target," said Mr. Duran. "I just can't in good conscience be seen there."

In the same Times piece, Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights organization said, "Target's biggest asset and vulnerability is they market so transparently to our community. If that retailer does not fulfill on what we believe to be their brand promise, there are consequences."

Target asserts that none of their actions were anti-gay, pointing to the apology over the Emmer flap and citing a policy stance that disallows all canvassing on their property.

Going on the offensive to close a gap in perceptions, the firm took the step of announcing its support for the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) bill that would ban discrimination against employees for sexual orientation and gender identity. That bill has been stalled for years.

Additionally, Target posted on Facebook and its website a 2 minute video trumpeting the company's diversity.

The Poway incident, however, rankles gay rights activists, with one calling it akin to rubbing salt in recently opened wounds.

The papers filed by Target said that the reason they wished to cease the canvassing was the "controversial pro-gay marriage messaging" of Canvass for a Cause and the perception among customers that "Target promotes the same view."

The Canvass for a Cause volunteers won their day in court earlier this month when a San Diego judge denied Target's request to ban the solicitors from its property.

The judge upheld the traditional right of free speech and assembly, ruling that Target failed to demonstrate harassment.

As boycotts lengthen, they lose steam and eventually go by the by (think the Coors Boycott), so activists wish to see Target make concessions and changes sooner than later.

The national groups seek Target's pushing for same-sex marriage rights, a move that marketers in general dismiss as unlikely, given the nation's ambivalence, and some areas' outright hostility, on the issue.

Target says they, too, would like to move beyond the recent tough time in the firm's relationship with the community they say they value as clients.

Their vice president of marketing told the Times the issue for them was not money, it was "doing the right thing."

Here in West Hollywood, those who watch such things closely avoid the Target.
Most people do not; WeHo Target is the region's number one store.