MINNESOTA: Target Donates $150K To Anti-Gay Political Fund

Over at SFist, Matt Baume makes a stunning discovery.

Bradlee Dean, the frontman of a Christian rock band in Minnesota called You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, recently said that Muslim countries that execute LGBTs are "more moral than even the American Christians," plus some mouth-foaming about gays engaging in abominations and child molestation. Ugh. So what's the Target connection? Well, Bradlee's ministry received money and support from Tom Emmer, an anti-gay Minnesota Republican running for Governor. And Tom Emmer's campaign got a boost from Minnesota Forward, a PAC running TV ads on his behalf. And Minnesota Forward got $150,000 -- which amounts to about a third of all of their donations -- from Target. So, to follow the money: Target gave $150,000 to Minnesota Forward, which bought TV ads for Tom Emmer, who says "I believe marriage is the union between one man and one woman," and who hangs out with a guy who thinks killing gays is moral.

Baume allows that Target may be unaware of Emmer's connection to murder advocate Bradlee Dean. Over at Change.org, Michael Jones reacts:

Send Target a message now, urging them to explain this donation, and to adamantly condemn the type of fear-based politics that folks like Tom Emmer and You Can Run But You Cannot Hide profit off of. Simply put, Target should know better, and they should do a better job of following their political contributions to make sure they're not funding anti-gay politics.

RELATED: Last month I mentioned the connection between Rep. Michele Bachmann and Bradlee Dean and his band. Bachmann has praised the band, which has ties to her reelection campaign and has shared the bill with her at at least one Minnesota GOP fundraiser. Bachmann to Bradlee Dean: "It a tough job that you do, but someone has to do it. I thank God that he has given you the strength and the resolve to fight for our timeless values." Those "timeless values" include openly advocating for the murder of LGBT Americans.

TAKE ACTION: Sign Change.org's petition to Target.

(Graphic via SFist)