Target sells shirts to help pro-gay marriage group
This undated photo provided June 1, 2012, by Target Corp. shows one of the T-shirts target is selling to raise money for a group working to defeat a gay marriage ban in Minnesota. / Paul Weber,AP Photo/Target Corp.
(AP) ST. PAUL, Minn. - Two years after Target Corp. angered gay marriage supporters with a political donation that benefited a fiery gay marriage opponent seeking the governor's office, the retailer is now upsetting same-sex marriage opponents by selling T-shirts to raise money for a group working to defeat a gay marriage ban in Minnesota.
The Minneapolis-based retailer is taking heat in its home state, where voters will decide this November whether to put a gay marriage ban into the state constitution. One organizer of gay marriage opponents warned that their displeasure could spread to 32 other states where voters have banned gay marriage.
"Target is attacking traditional marriage, which is an incredibly misguided thing for them to have done," said Chuck Darrell, spokesman for Minnesota for Marriage, a group campaigning to pass the constitutional marriage amendment. "It's an insult to the overwhelming majority of their customers."
Target's move comes two years after it endured a backlash from gay rights supporters for giving $150,000 to a campaign group backing the conservative Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, Tom Emmer, who narrowly lost to Democrat Mark Dayton in a race that went to an automatic recount. The donation set off protests and calls for a boycott from a constituency that had seen Target as an ally.
Supporters of gay marriage see Minnesota as having the potential to halt their long losing streak in statewide votes.
The T-shirt promotion will raise up to $120,000 for the Family Equality Council, a Washington-based group that is part of a Minnesota coalition pushing to defeat the constitutional amendment. The $12.99 shirts will be sold on Target's website through June, or while supplies last. They come in four designs, emblazoned with words such as "harmony" and "pride." Singer Gwen Stefani designed one shirt featuring a rainbow and a cloud that says, "LOVE IS LOVE."
Target hasn't taken a position on Minnesota's ballot question. Spokeswoman Molly Snyder said the T-shirt promotion was organized by a group of gay Target employees and their allies. She said it is Target's second promotion to benefit a specific group. The first, during last year's holiday season, raised money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through the sale of limited-edition plush dogs.
"Target is pleased to be able to bring our guests products they want while, in turn, helping support the LGBT community through the donation of 100 percent of the purchase price to the Family Equality Council," the company said in a statement noting its long-standing support of the gay community.
Another statement from the retailer notes "a broad range of strongly held views" on the marriage issue and urges employees to vote.
Family Equality Council director Jennifer Chrisler said the T-shirt proceeds will fund her group's work around the country, ranging from community building to political advocacy. She added that Target, a longtime sponsor of the Twin Cities gay pride festival, is now sponsoring Family Equality Council retreats for gay families in Massachusetts and California.
"I know and understand what a big reaction that donation had two years ago, and I think they have taken steps, serious steps, to show that they understood that reaction," Chrisler said. "But I really think this is an extension of the longtime partnership we have had and their commitment to family."
Minnesota for Marriage doesn't plan to organize action against Target because of its focus on the November vote, Darrell said. Instead, he is asking supporters of the constitutional amendment to counter the Target promotion by donating $12.99 on his group's website. He said donations are up since Target started selling the T-shirts.
Darrell also urged Target to get out of the marriage issue — and stay out.
"Just get out of this debate and do what they're good at," Darrell said. "Get out of the business of trying to redefine marriage."
Popular on CBSNews.com
- Massive tornado hits Okla. 60 Photos
- Mile-wide tornado rips through Oklahoma City area
- Children rescued from elementary school in Okla. 11 Photos
- Oklahoma tornado carves trail of destruction Play Video
- At least 51 dead after massive Okla. tornado
- Severe tornado tears through Oklahoma City suburb Play Video
- Another tornado touches down near Oklahoma City
- Record Fla. Powerball winner can't remain anonymous
http://peacemoonbeam.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451af9f69e20163061dd7ec970d-pi
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/mitt-romney/
It's empty PR flapdoodle.
1. They are now viewed as liberal and gay sensitive company
2. All these news generated are free publicity.
1. They're just another company trying to find a target market to exploit. Apart from the veneer, there is no substance to the issue. Look at how generic that thing is, and it was undoubtedly made under the most cheapest of conditions.
2. There's no such thing as bad publicity.
Actually, they were viewed as being somewhat "liberal" before the CEO was reported in chumming up with a rabid right-wing politician. Which only goes to show what the bumper sticker says: "____ is only as liberal as the conservative owner of ____ allows it to appear to be."
I am writing you, my representative in the senate, to ask you to support the retention of the 1993 law regarding homosexuals in the military (Section 654, Title 10, U.S.C.) and vote against the current attempt to repeal the law. The reasons for this are underpinned by the medical risks, associated negative readiness impacts and future spiraling medical costs to supporting homosexual soldiers.
The first major problem is the current long standing ban on homosexual men donating blood which was reaffirmed this past June. While the "lifetime ban" was not warmly received, all opposing discussion centered on the allowable time between homosexual sex (men having sex with men - MSM) and the act of blood donation. See http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.aspx?docid=640056
In a 2006 transcript (see http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/06/transcripts/2006-4206t1.pdf) of a similar hearing concerning MSM blood donation, it was noted on page 46-47 of the document that the European Blood Exchange also bans donations from MSM, and the ban was upheld in a court challenge. Of note, on page 48 of the report the MSM HIV infection rate in the US was cited as approximately 500,000. This number was essentially validated in the next document as posted on the CDC website:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/FastFacts-MSM-FINAL508COMP.pdf The document states the following four highlights:
- MSM account for nearly half of the more than one million people living with HIV in the U.S. (48%, or an estimated 532,000 total persons).
- MSM account for more than half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. each year (53%, or an estimated 28,700 infections).
- While CDC estimates that MSM account for just 4 percent of the U.S. male population aged 13 and older, the rate of new HIV diagnoses among MSM in the U.S. is more than 44 times that of other men (range: 522-989 per 100,000 MSM vs. 12 per 100,000 other men).
- MSM are the only risk group in the U.S. in which new HIV infections are increasing. While new infections have declined among both heterosexuals and injection drug users, the annual number of new HIV infections among MSM has been steadily increasing since the early 1990s.
The last point is most disconcerting when combined with a recent study (see http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/127715/teen-sex-survey-reveals-risky-behavior ). A new study on city teens and sex has identified some risky sexual behaviors - particularly among teens that have partners of both genders. According to the study in the journal Pediatrics released in October, nearly 1 in 10 of the city's sexually-active high school students say they have had at least one partner of the same sex. Those teens reported higher-than-average rates of dating violence, forced sex, and risky sexual behavior. Of the male teens who say they have had both male and female partners, just 44 percent said they used a condom the last time they had sex. That's compared to 79 percent of male teens who have only slept with female partners and 62 percent who'd slept with only same-sex partners. The report is based on more than 17,000 public health surveys administered in New York City high schools in 2005 and 2007. This tells us that MSM sex in high school students is radically increasing. Not included in this study was a demographic of HIV transmission for these teenagers. Regardless, this statistics is important.
If 4% of US Population of males between the ages of 13 and older is MSM inclined, and 532,000 MSM are HIV positive, we can extrapolate the following: Of the US Census demographics of military service the closest US Census ages statistics are 13-44 - approximately 53 million men (see http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=PEP_2009_EST&-mt_name=PEP_2009_EST_G2009_T006_2009&-CONTEXT=dt&-tree_id=809&-all_geo_types=Y&-geo_id=01000US&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en ) This means that of this percentage, approximately 12% - more than 1 in 10 - of all MSM in the USA are HIV Positive. If the 4% statistic is applied only 53 million military aged demographic, we get a 25% infection rate - or 1 in 4 MSM in that age group are HIV positive. This tells us the infection rate for military aged personnel is between 12% to 25% - an neither statistic is acceptable. Add to that approximately half of all new annual HIV infections are MSM and the medical cost and readiness implications are significant. This clearly shows the MSM demographic is the most risky for HIV of any demographic in America. These statistics coupled to the NY City school statistic of 1 in 10 males has had sex with another male creates the potential for spiraling HIV transmission rate in the military service demographic.