Target Launches Pride 2015 Campaign

Via press release:

We’re not born with pride. We take pride. Pride in celebrating who we were born to be. Those are the powerful words we at Target want all guests and team members — of every size, color, gender and sexual orientation — to hear as we head into Pride month this week. But let us be clear: to Target, pride doesn’t just start and end in June, it is a year-round commitment. And this year, we’re going all out, supporting Pride parades, events and merchandise — all grounded by one simple but powerful manifesto. "We’re making our message loud and clear: Target proudly stands with the LGBT community, both as a team member and team player through all that we do – from our volunteer efforts to our long-standing partnerships with groups like Family Equality Council and Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, to the very products we carry in our stores and online," said Laysha Ward, executive vice president and chief corporate social responsibility officer, Target.

The press release links to a variety of pride-related products now on sale in stores and online. You'll like the clip below.

Target: All Are Respected Here

Posted yesterday to Target's corporate blog:

In recent days, we’ve heard from you, our guests. You’ve asked us for Target’s thoughts about what it means to have an inclusive culture. You’ve asked us if, given the current conversations taking place across our country, we were taking a stand. And while most of those have been one-on-one conversations as you have called or emailed us, we wanted to take time to share our thoughts more broadly. They are simple. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you’ll always be accepted, respected and welcomed here.

The Freepers are responding predictably.

New York Attorney General: Many Herbal Supplements Don't Contain Listed Plants

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman yesterday announced that an investigation by his office has revealed that 79% of tested herbal supplements sold in several major chains do not contain the plants listed on the labels. Via the Associated Press:

GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreen Co. sold supplements that either couldn't be verified to contain the labeled substance or that contained ingredients not listed on the label, Schneiderman's office said. The supplements, including echinacea, ginseng, St. John's wort, garlic, ginkgo biloba and saw palmetto, were contaminated with substances including rice, beans, pine, citrus, asparagus, primrose, wheat, houseplant and wild carrot. In many cases, unlisted contaminants were the only plant material found in the product samples. Overall, 21 percent of the test results from store brand herbal supplements contained DNA from the plants listed on the labels. The retailer with the poorest showing was Walmart, where 4 percent of the products tested showed DNA from the plants listed on the labels.

Schneiderman's office conducted 390 tests on the above-listed six supplements sold under various brand names in outlets across New York. A spokesman for Walgreens says that the products are being pulled from their shelves. GNC says they stand by the quality of their products but are cooperating with Schneiderman's office. Walmart says they are reaching out to their suppliers and will take "appropriate action." A spokesman for for the supplement industry has denounced the report and accuses Schneiderman of conducting a "self-serving publicity stunt." (Tipped by JMG reader BK)

New Target Ad Stars Lesbian Family

Via After Ellen:

Married, pregnant couple Amanda Deibert and Cat Staggs are the stars of a new Target commercial called “Baby Digs: The Magic of Space,” and they play themselves. Amanda (an actress who you may remember from FEED) and Cat (an artist, who recently drew Wonder Woman) are due January 21 and they got hooked up with a sweet new nursery for appearing in the ad. “A friend of ours knew the casting director was looking for expecting couples and she emailed me and asked if I would be interested in sending our stuff over,” Amanda said. “We both thought it would be amazing to have so much of our nursery needs taken care of (kids are expensive!) and also loved the idea of showing an authentic lesbian family in a mainstream commercial. Obviously, Target dug that too.”

Things must be at DefCon 1 over NOM headquarters!

UPDATE: In the comments on this post, Amanda (featured in the ad) points out that I reported on the couple's Central Park wedding three years ago.

AFA Launches Boycott Of Target

"While other companies are choosing to remain neutral in the culture war, Target is going all out to support homosexual marriage. This is a company whose leaders make a mockery of marriage. They make a mockery of God's Word - and every Christian in this nation should let Target know it is out of step with the majority of Americans who support natural marriage. Are you going to give Target your money, knowing they'll use it to undermine your deeply held beliefs? TAKE ACTION: Target doesn't think you care enough to speak out. In essence, they are saying they don’t think you will take your business elsewhere. I think they underestimate the Christian community. Send your message to Target, urging them to withdraw their support for homosexual marriage and stop undermining long-held American values that marriage is only between one man and one woman." - Posted yesterday to the website of the American Family Association. (Via Good As You)

RELATED: NOM's month-old Target boycott has been the usual hilarious fail. Only 2850 people have bothered to sign NOM's petition. On the day the boycott launched, Target's stock price was $56.99. Yesterday the stock closed at $60.56 - meaning that Target's market cap has increased by $1.83 billion in the last month.

Corporations To SCOTUS: Uneven Marriage Laws Are Burdening Our Business

Thirty major corporations have filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to hear AFER's challenge of Virginia's same-sex marriage ban. On the list: Amazon, CBS, Deutsche Bank, eBay, Intel, General Electric, Levi Strauss, Nike, Oracle, Pfizer, Staples, Target, and Viacom. In general, the brief argues that the nation's uneven patchwork of marriage laws places an undue burden on corporations. An excerpt:

Amici include technology, materials, financial services, pharmaceutical, apparel, and entertainment companies; hoteliers and restaurateurs, service providers, consultants, and designers. Amici all share a desire to attract and retain a talented workforce. We are located or operate in states across the country, some of which recognize marriages of those of our employees whose spouses are of the same sex, and others that prohibit marriages between same-sex couples and refuse to recognize existing same-sex marriages. This dual and continuously shifting regime uniquely burdens amici. This legal uncertainty exposes us, as employers, to unnecessary cost, risk, and administrative complexity. In addition, this irresolution hampers our efforts to recruit and retain the most talented workforce possible, placing us at a competitive disadvantage. Our success depends upon the welfare and morale of all employees, without distinction. The burden imposed by inconsistent state laws of having to administer complicated schemes to account for differential treatment of similarly situated employees creates unnecessary confusion, tension, and ultimately, diminished employee morale.

Hit the link for the full list of corporations.

Linda Harvey Has The Target Sadz

Deviance! Perversion! Unnatural desires!

NOM's Boycott Of Target Is Flopping Even Worse Than All Their Other Boycotts

A laughably measly 2583 people have signed NOM's boycott petition for Target since the retail giant submitted pro-gay marriage briefs last week in the states of Wisconsin and Indiana. NOM's 30-month-old boycott petition for Starbucks has yielded 68,745 names - a number that has scarcely budged in the last two years. Their 25-month-old boycott petition for General Mills petered out in the fall of 2012 and the current total of 27,612 names is only a couple of hundred more than a year ago. And of course, the more recent boycott petition for trillion-dollar international banking behemoth JP Morgan Chase remains stalled with barely more than 7000 names. Are you seeing the trend here?

Janet Porter: Call Target And Tell Them You Are Boycotting For Undermining Hate Groups Like Mine

Christian Group: Cut Up Your Target Cards

The American Decency Association has issued a call for its supporters to boycott Target and mail the chain their destroyed charge cards. Lisa Van Houten writes for the group:

Someone should explain to Target that “equality” doesn’t mean sameness. I as a female may be equal in worth to a man, but I am not the same. There are many things we as individuals are not legally allowed to do without meeting certain criteria – that does not mean we aren’t treated equally under the law. And certain criteria and limitations have always applied to marriage in this nation of freedoms. Any adult can be married – as long as they meet the criteria. And the criterion that has stood since God ordained the institution of marriage is the union of a man and a woman. As we see those beliefs under attack with growing intensity each day, I pray we will wake up, speak out, and act in defense of biblical Truth – and that includes applying biblical stewardship to where we shop. Besides not shopping at Target, here a couple of other suggested actions to take: If you have a Target credit card, cut it up and return it to the company, or send copies of past receipts, with a note expressing your displeasure at the company’s choosing to align with the LGBT agenda instead of remaining neutral on this issue. If you know of a family member planning a wedding or expecting a baby, urge them not to use Target’s bridal and baby registry.

They've posted a complaint letter to Target for its followers to sign. Oh look, you can edit it.

Matt Barber: Boycott Target

"It is just poor business. Target, just like other corporations across the country, should at least remain neutral in this ongoing culture war. And at best, they should be endorsing the age old institution of natural marriage, which is the cornerstone to any healthy society. I hope people will go into Target stores across the country and tell them that they are no longer going to buy products there because Target has joined in the attack on the institution of natural marriage. They need to let it be known that they will take their business elsewhere and tell why they are doing so. That's what individuals can do about this." - Hate group leader Matt Barber, who has characterized boycotts led by the LGBT community as "economic terrorism."

REMINDER: When powerful national Christian groups with millions of members call for boycotts, that is a righteous use of the free market in order to preserve morality, marriage, family, and the American way. But when the gay community calls for a boycott, THAT is homofascist intimidation, intolerance, bullying, a stifling of religious liberty, and an attempt to deny the freedom of speech. And don't you forget it.

Brian Brown: Boycott Target Even Though All The Other Companies We Boycott Don't Give A Shit What Hate Groups Say

"Dear Marriage Supporter, On Tuesday, the retail giant Target signed on to an amicus brief for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in two pending cases challenging the definition of marriage in Indiana and Wisconsin. Target joins with a number of other companies in signing the brief, including the Starbucks Coffee Company. But it is the spirit behind the brief, and its language, which are most noteworthy. The brief uses extremely charged language to refer to laws defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. It calls them "the states' bans [on same-sex marriage]" and, even more radically, 'marriage discrimination' laws!

"Without providing any rationale at all, the brief states bluntly that 'Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples,' and refers to Indiana and Wisconsin's traditional marriage laws as 'an unproductive, inequitable, and unjust status quo.' Perhaps most ridiculously, the brief—while touting the benefits of pro-LGBT businesses—presents the claim that 'corporate cultures that don't encourage openness and inclusiveness leave employees feeling isolated and fearful.' Well, tell that to the employees at Chase bank.

"Join me in telling Target today that they are out of touch with consumers and they have insulted the millions of Americans who have voted to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman—tell them how much we resent being fashioned 'bigots' and 'haters' for doing so! Click here to pledge to take your business elsewhere. Target and its peers in the corporate world need to realize that the countless Americans who believe in marriage as the union of a man and a woman will not stand for being insulted and demeaned. The rash of corporate meddling in the politics of marriage and family will only continue if we do not stand up and say enough is enough. Please join me in this boycott today, and please forward this message to your family and friends urging them to do the same." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, launching his group's fourth hilarious boycott of a major corporation.

Here's what the letter to Target says:

To whom it may concern: I am writing today to pledge that I will be joining a boycott against Target announced by the National Organization for Marriage in response to Target’s insults against pro-marriage Americans in the amicus brief to which the company signed in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Those who believe in marriage as the union of one man and one woman are not bigots or haters. Rather, they recognize the essential meaning of marriage, and stand by the common sense principle that kids do best with a loving mom and dad. Because your company has chosen to support this radical agenda, and to insult me and other pro-family Americans like me, I will be taking my business elsewhere.

NOM's ongoing boycotts of Starbucks, General Mills, and JP Morgan Chase have all been entirely laughable disasters. Stand by for Target's stock to shoot through the roof!

Target Files Pro-Gay Marriage Briefs With Seventh Circuit Court Of Appeals

Minneapolis-based retail giant Target today filed amicus briefs in support of the plaintiffs in same-sex marriage lawsuits against the states of Wisconsin and Indiana. The Human Rights Campaign reacts:

“Today Target joins a growing chorus of Americans and businesses that know these bans on marriage equality serve no purpose other than to harm families,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin. “Discrimination should have no place in our society, much less our laws. We are grateful to Target for speaking out and standing up for the rights of not just its LGBT employees, but Americans from across the country who deserve to be treated with fairness and equality under the law.” Target received a 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s latest Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which scores American businesses on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

The Minneapolis Business Journal notes that today's action comes after Target remained silent during the 2012 marriage battle in its home state.

"It is our belief that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and that includes rights we believe individuals should have related to marriage," wrote Jodee Kozlak, Target's executive vice president and chief human resources officer. Target said it already offers comprehensive benefits to LGBT employees and their families. "We continue to do so today because we believe doing so is right for our team and for our business. But current laws — in places like Wisconsin and Indiana that are addressed in this brief – make it difficult to attract and retain talent," Kozlak wrote in a Target blog post. "These disparate laws also create confusing and complicated benefits challenges across multiple states."

Read the full announcement at Target's corporate site. And stand by for NOM's Dump Target boycott campaign!

Target: No Guns In Our Stores

"The leadership team has been weighing a complex issue, and I want to be sure everyone understands our thoughts and ultimate decision. As you’ve likely seen in the media, there has been a debate about whether guests in communities that permit 'open carry' should be allowed to bring firearms into Target stores. Our approach has always been to follow local laws, and of course, we will continue to do so. But starting today we will also respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target – even in communities where it is permitted by law. We’ve listened carefully to the nuances of this debate and respect the protected rights of everyone involved. In return, we are asking for help in fulfilling our goal to create an atmosphere that is safe and inviting for our guests and team members. This is a complicated issue, but it boils down to a simple belief: Bringing firearms to Target creates an environment that is at odds with the family-friendly shopping and work experience we strive to create." - Interim Target CEO John Mulligan.  Teabagistan is already calling for a boycott, of course.

Target CEO Resigns After Data Breach

The CEO of Target resigned today following a massive breach of customer data over the holiday shopping season.

"Today we are announcing that, after extensive discussions, the board and Gregg Steinhafel have decided that now is the right time for new leadership at Target," a company statement posted on its website Monday morning says. Steinhafel also resigned as chairman of the board of directors. John Mulligan, Target's chief financial officer, will serve as interim president and CEO. Steinhafel, a 35-year veteran of Target, will serve as an advisor during the transition. In a letter to the board of directors, posted to Target's website Monday, Steinhafel said, "The last several months have tested Target in unprecedented ways. From the beginning, I have been committed to ensuring Target emerges from the data breach a better company, more focused on delivering for our guests."

Information on over 100 million Target customers may have been stolen.

Target Reponds To Cuccinelli Flap

On Friday questions were raised by Right Wing Watch regarding a $50,000 donation made by Target to a GOP group that supports, among others, the gubernatorial campaign of anti-gay Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.  Target has issued a response:

"Target has a long-standing commitment to the LGBT community. We also believe strongly in our civic responsibility to engage in a bipartisan manner at the state and federal level in order to learn about public policy priorities and advocate on issues that affect our business, such as fairness legislation," stated Snyder. "One of the ways we do this is through membership in both the Democratic and Republican Governors Associations, both of which include several hundred other corporate members. When paying for our memberships, we explicitly require that our dues not be used for any individual electoral campaigns or other electioneering efforts. It would therefore be wrong and inaccurate to associate our membership dues with any particular political candidate or campaign."

(Via Advocate)

Target Donates $50K To Group Supporting Anti-Gay Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli

Miranda Blue writes for Right Wing Watch:

Target reports that in the first half of this year, it contributed $50,000 to the Republican Governors Association, which so far this year has spent nearly $3 million on behalf of Cuccinelli’s gubernatorial campaign. Target, like many large corporations, is an equal opportunity influence-buyer – it also gave $50,000 this year to the Democratic Governors Association, which is supporting Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe. But its indirect funding of Cuccinelli’s campaign raises additional questions.

In apologizing to his employees for the company’s contributions to Emmer’s campaign, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel promised to launch “a strategic review and analysis of our decision-making process for financial contributions in the public policy arena” and to start “a dialogue focused on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including GLBT issues.” How did that “dialogue” lead to support for an organization that is dedicating itself to supporting Ken Cuccinelli?

Justin Timberlake For Target

Target has the exclusive on physical sales for Timberlake's new CD and the retailer had a surprise for his fans recruited for the commercial.

JCP Jabs At Walmart & Target

Walmart and Target are facing petitions and consumer backlash over their decision to open tomorrow.

Target: We're Still Neutral On Marriage

Despite the invitation for gay people to use their gift registry, yesterday a Target spokesman declared that the company is "remaining neutral" on the pending anti-gay marriage bill in their home state of Minnesota.

"Be yourself, together," the text of the ad reads. "Build a Target Wedding Gift Registry as unique as the two of you." Does this mean Target Corp. is ready to make a commitment, too? Is Minnesota's most prominent corporation taking a public stand supporting gay marriage -- and opposing the Minnesota marriage amendment, which is coming to a vote in November? Nope. Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder confirmed Friday, July 27, that Target hasn't changed its neutral stance on the amendment, which would add existing state law to the Minnesota constitution stating that marriage is legal only between one man and one woman. "We recognize that there is a broad range of strongly held views on the MN Marriage amendment," Synder said in a statement. "Consistent with our longstanding support of civic engagement, we strongly encourage our team members to exercise their right to vote in November."

Now neither side will be happy with Target. Oh, well done.