July 28, 2010 4:10 PM

Target Boycott Movement Grows Following Donation to Support "Antigay" Candidate

By
Brian Montopoli
Topics
Campaign 2010 ,
Social Issues

Revelations that Target Corp. donated $150,000 to a group that is running ads backing conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who opposes same-sex marriage, continue to generate calls to boycott the company.

Groups such as this one - "Boycott Target Until They Cease Funding Anti-Gay Politics" - have spring up on Facebook, where those upset with the donation are encouraged to contact Target to let them know what they think.

Meanwhile, a woman by the name of Randi Reitan, who has a gay son, has posted a video to YouTube showing her cutting up her Target card and returning merchandise in protest. (Watch above.)

"The Target I know was a Target that embraced its gay employees," she says in the video before discussing how she told a store manager about why she returned the items she had purchased.

"I shared with her why I had bought each item, who they were for, and why that person wouldn't want me to have bought them at a Target store," she says. "The items were for my grandchildren, and they love their uncle Jake so much, and Jake is gay, and they wouldn't want to have things coming from a store that contributes to a campaign that would have a governor candidate with the antigay views that Tom Emmer has."

Target, which is based in Minnesota, has defended its donations to the group, called MN Forward, by stating that they were tied to Emmer's positions when it comes to creating a positive environment for businesses, not his stance on social issues.

Customers shop at a Target store in Lombard, Ill. in this Dec. 6, 2007 file photo.

(Credit: AP)

"Target's support of the GLBT community is unwavering, and inclusiveness remains a core value of our company," Chief Executive Officer Gregg Steinhafel said. The company has also said that its political action committee has split donations evenly between both parties this year. (PAC donations involve money from employees and shareholders, as opposed to the corporate funds used to donate to MN Forward.)

Target is not the only retailer to have donated to MN Forward - electronic retailer Best Buy Co. gave the group $100,000 - but it has been the primary target of anger in large part because it has long been seen as an ally by the gay rights movement.

"A lot of people feel betrayed by this place where everybody goes to shop and you get to see them at Pride and you feel good that you're supporting a corporation that's giving back to the community," Monica Meyer, interim head of the gay rights group OutFront Minnesota, told the Associated Press.

On his website, Emmer writes that "I believe marriage is the union between one man and one woman."

"As a legislator, I have consistently supported the constitutional marriage amendment that protects traditional marriage," he adds.

Target was reportedly able to make the donation because of the Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United decision which greatly expanded corporations and unions' ability to spend unlimited money on campaign advertising. The DISCLOSE Act, which would have brought greater transparency in such advertising, was blocked by Senate Republicans yesterday.


Add a Comment See all 213 Comments
by phwtb October 29, 2011 11:21 AM EDT
I just don't understand how ANY EDUCATED, or INTELLIGENT, person could consider this a BIG DEAL!

NOWHERE in its' donation announcement did Target say, 'we're only supporting this candidate BECAUSE of his 'anti-gay' political opinions'. Perhaps, this Tom Emmer IS an anti-gay candidate; perhaps he isn't. I don't know. But does being 'pro-gay' make him any better as a politician?

Highly unlikely.

People want a candidate and politician who stands for what THEY WANT HIM or HER to stand for on ALL the issues, and someone they feel they can TRUST to do what they say they will do. And, if all those voters have even a tiny semblance of intelligence, they will know no one person can please all the people all the time.

As far as I am concerned, it makes me admire Target that much more. It tells me they aren't trying to hide their political commitments or their political contributions by sneaking around behind the backs of the general public. That in itself, in today's world of high dollar corporations, appears to make Target stand a little taller than their competitors, in my opinion.

Besides, I'm sick of people trying to tell me that I have to "accept" the things I think are wrong. I may not be able to change them, but I dang sure don't have to 'accept' them. I don't FORCE homosexuals to accept me being heterosexual. I don't even TELL THEM I'm heterosexual!

I ALLOW them to accept me. Their choice! AS IT SHOULD BE!

BIG D*MN DEAL, YOU'RE GAY! Congratulations! Now- get over it! Put it back in the PRIVACY of YOUR OWN bedroom, where it belongs, and stop trying to bring it into the lobby of MY business and the living room of MY home!

I own a very successful business. One in which I refuse to hire anyone who has visible tattoos, anyone that has stretched out ears or anyone that has facial piercings. That doesn't make me a bad person OR a bad business person. It makes me smart enough to know what MY clients will tolerate AND TRUST, and what they won't.

Personally I don't have a problem with any of those but I do have a problem with ALL of them professionally. It's your body, do with it what you will, BUT don't try to blame me because you have absolutely no chance of working in a professional environment.

People see you as you want them to see you. You want people to see you as a side show freak that is exactly what they will see. IF you WANT them to accept you, be the person you COULD be. Stop FORCING people- through the SHOCK treatment- into setting you up to be the center of attention every where you go. Despite what Hollywood tells you, not all attention is good. If you want to be successful, put people at ease, not on guard!

Anyone who has a problem with people who have a problem with any of those issues, and the gay issue as well, have the power to fix the entire picture. Simply stop trying to cram your view point down everyone's throat!

Live and let live. I wouldn't be successful if I ran around all over the world advertising I only sleep with heterosexual men instead of advertising I happen to be GREAT at what I do! It's no one's business besides mine who I sleep with and I don't WANT IT TO BE anybody else's business.

Here's the REAL problem: WHY is it that homosexual people feel it is so important, and feel the need, to prove their ONLY worth is their sexual orientation and their ONLY PRIORITY is to make a huge production of it?

If you're a gay attorney be a GREAT attorney! That's what the people who hire you WANT YOU TO BE.
If you're a gay accountant, be a GREAT accountant! That's what the people who hire you WANT YOU TO BE.
If you're a gay teacher, be a GREAT teacher!

The point is, if gay people put even half as much effort into showing the world how great they are at what they actually do, the world won't care if they're gay. And isn't that the outcome they're really seeking?

Otherwise, if it's so important to you to prove to the world first and foremost, you're gay, go into the porn business. Maybe then you can get the respect you think you deserve from the people you CHOOSE to surround yourself with.
Reply to this comment
by bxgzbw August 5, 2011 3:31 PM EDT
People are not looking at the entire picture here. Target is not an anti-gay corporation just because they donated money to an anti-gay candidate. People just keep blindly focusing on that. Did they read up all of the facts on the opposing candidate? Did they see that the other guy wanted to increase taxes on big businesses?
Here is an idea...boycott the candidate with the anti-gay views, don't boycott the corporation that provides millions of jobs for our citizens, including homosexuals. The Target I choose to shop with employs over 300 people. Their store manager is a lesbian, 3 our of 5 of their executive managers are gay/lesbian, 5out of 9 of their team leaders(floor managers) are gay/lesbian, as well as at least 25% of their regular staff. I do not live in a "high gay" community, I live in the midwest. Most of the people working there have chosen to do so because of HOW FRIENDLY THEY ARE(as well as supportive and helping to advance in the company) to homosexuals, females and other minorities.
But go ahead, boycott Target. They will see a drop in sales, which means they will have to cut their payroll, which means people already struggling will have to go find other jobs, probably in more intolerant workplaces. All the while, that candidate is still going to have his horrible views and you aren't going to change the outcome one bit.
Reply to this comment
by D9W March 21, 2011 6:29 AM EDT
I think the This Way Parody Speaks volumes >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prmavvtKdbk
Reply to this comment
by arrowstraight88 March 10, 2011 8:07 AM EST
hell, I will shop there more often. If your gay more power to ya. shop else where.
Reply to this comment
by ImantiGaytoo February 15, 2011 8:40 PM EST
Way to go Target!!! I only wish more Companies would stand up against this sickness.
Reply to this comment
by Elainelgc January 24, 2011 12:06 AM EST
I am furious that Target has the nerve to contribute to Antigay Americans .. I am not gay but I love those who have chose to be who they are. God made us all and made all different types of people. God loves all of us regardless of who we are Gay or not...White, Black, Latino etc.. God loves us all.. Target you are not my favoite place to shop anymore..By the way you cannot cure any Gay person. It is not a disease..It is what they are and any one else is..Normal for them. Why can't we all be accepted in life..Get over it!!!
Reply to this comment
by nates_point_of_view October 30, 2010 6:20 PM EDT
This is not, as some comments suggest, an issue of denying Target it's freedom of speech (albeit speech in this context is a monetary contribution). On the other hand, suggesting that people not boycott Target is asking consumers to waive their freedom of speech, or in other words, the right to not "speak" to Target with their wallets. This is also the same freedom that some consumers appear to be enjoying by choosing to shop at Target because their contribution aided a candidate who is against gay rights.

Some have also said that Target is not responsible for final resting place of their "speech" but as in any conversation one must choose the words they say carefully. If Target is supportive of the gay community, they picked their words poorly.
Reply to this comment
by OpenPragmatist October 27, 2010 9:35 PM EDT
I am a business owner who also happens to be a gay man. I do NOT take umbrage with Target for contributing to an organization that supports businesses. If that organization, in turn, contributes to a political candidate, Target can not be held responsible for that organization's actions. I DO TAKE UMBRAGE with Target for the fact that their customer service has completely been eroded. Target.com has been outsourced to a country where English is a VERY second language. Like Wal-Mart, they have gotten so large that they feel secure that the "masses" will still shop at their stores, no matter how poorly they treat customers or how many Americans they leave unemployed while their service centers are run by someone in Sri Lanka. I have boycotted Wal-Mart for years because after Sam Walton died, the corporate vampires took hold and sold the company down river. NOW I WILL BOYCOTT TARGET, TOO. Not because of organizations that they contribute to, but because I want to do business with companies that: 1. Hire Americans, 2. Take good care of those American employees, ans 3. NEVER, EVER think that they are above the needs of the customer and that CUSTOMER SERVICE is always the top priority.
Reply to this comment
by Ahmhip October 14, 2010 3:22 PM EDT
We have been occasional Target shoppers, but have been buying almost all of our groceries at four other grocery chains. We will now bring ALL of that business to Target instead. This is the only way we can cast a vote AGAINST George Soros and his band of progressives and homosexuals. They will never win in America. There are too many principled, loyal Americans with morals and values to ever let that old fart succeed.
Reply to this comment
by arrowstraight88 March 10, 2011 8:11 AM EST
right on, I will give them all my bussiness.
by whatibelieve October 14, 2010 2:59 PM EDT
The title of this article says all I need to know about the slant this "info" will take. The donation was not to the candidate, but an organization that is pro-business. Since we are a capitalist society and Target is a business, it is pretty much a no-brainer. To so obivously mislead the public, is why CBS is a dinosaur.
Reply to this comment
See all 213 Comments
.

Follow Political Hotsheet

Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
CBS News on Facebook
  • Building You a Better Morning

  • CBS This Morning

    "CBS This Morning," anchored by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill, airs weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and at the same time in other time zones.
    Learn more...