Republican Tom Emmer finally conceded defeat to Democrat Mark Dayton in the Minnesota governor’s race. Although behind by 9,000 votes, the homophobic Emmer still thought he should have won.
The race gained national attention when Target and Best Buy made substantial donations to a PAC that supported Emmer. Although they claimed they supported Emmer for his position on lower taxes, LGBT groups jumped on the candidate’s extreme anti-gay views. He called one person who called for death to gays “a nice guy,” for example.
Target has refused to budge on its position, however. The Human Rights Campaign spoke to representatives of the company over the summer to encourage them to make equal donations to LGBT groups. Negotiations broke down and the company has not responded or supported LGBT groups in any significant way since then.
HRC’s rating of Target in the Corporate Equality Index was lowered from 100 percent to 85 percent in the latest listing.
The last reference to the LGBT community on Target’s corporate website is dated Aug. 6, 2010:
Target Response to Prop 8 Inaccuracies
But the link on that page to “Target’s Civic Activity and Political Contributions” is now a dead link, and references to the company’s diversity no longer has LGBT-related items. However, sexual orientation and gender identity remain in the company’s nondiscrimination policies.
HRC is still calling on Target to “make it right.”
“There’s no real update,” HRC spokesman Michael Cole told us.
Cole said the company and the organization have had no discussions since they ended over the summer and noted that making the donation lowered the company’s CEI score.
Minneapolis-based Target is usually a sponsor of Twin Cities Pride. So far, for their 2011 Pride celebration, only travel sponsors are listed on the group’s website. When the controversy first broke in June, Target’s president pointed to its sponsorship of Twin Cities Pride as an example of its commitment to the LGBT community. Delta Airlines, Hampton Inn and several other providers are already listed as travel partners for the event.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Creating Change Conference will be held in Minneapolis in February. Three Dallas-based companies — Southwest Airlines, AA.com/Rainbow and Chili’s — are listed among other major corporate supporters of the annual event, which will be held one block from Target corporate headquarters.
Russell Roybal of NGLTF said discussions with Target are ongoing. However, the LGBT Business Council, Target’s LGBT employee group, has been actively soliciting volunteers for the conference and will be a major presence there, he said.
The Minnesota governor’s race was of particular importance to the LGBT community because advocates felt the state might be the next battleground for same-sex marriage. But that is unlikely now given the outcome of the November elections, when Republicans took over power in the Minnesota Legislature.
Target was actively involved in the Out and Equal conference a few months ago, was the largest supporter of the Twin Cities Pride, and offered to host and fund the HRC’s annual Twin Cities dinner. Target made two statements apologizing and explaining their donation (which was not made directly to Emmer). Paying off the HRC is not the way to change the communities attitudes towards Target. They are looking at more lasting and significant ways to show their commitment to the LGBT community. What has Best Buy done?
This is old news – not quite sure why we even consider this news at all?
Target and Best Buy were given a 100% HRC rating (not the first time) for a reason. They are gay-friendly companies, with gay-friendly policies and procedures and partner benefits. What other companies in this field offer or compare to that? None.
I will not shop at Target and encourage others not to as well. Don’t go to Wal-Mart as they are even worse.
Unitl the ultra-conservative, ultra-right-wing über-christian extremeist Glen Steinhafel and all of his hand-picked ilk are no longer at the helm of Target Corp., my gay dollars are better spent somewhere else. Had Target Corp. been a bit more dilligent in ‘vetting’ the candidate they supported for Governor, (it is more likely that they did, in fact) they might have known of his vitriolic hatred for LGBT people as well as his well-publicized anti-gay political stance. Whether they knew of it or didn’t, the shopping dollars they enticed with a smokescreen of ‘acceptance’ and ‘diversity’ were offered up in support of this man. LGBT people were offered up like sacrificial lambs to a nearly blood-thirsty anti-gay political campaign, and to date no viable apology has been publicly disseminated. A back-handed internal non-apology to thier employees is insufficient to answer for the blatant betrayal. When the stockholders remove the bible-thuimping hate-mongers from the power hub of Target, I will return to my previous love of the store. Until then, Target can kiss the darkest part of my lily-white *ss.
Jason, this is an UPDATE and it’s on our BLOG. THAT’s why it’s there.
Target and Best Buy have 85 percent ratings on the HRC CEI not 100 percent.
Thanks for pointing out their ad in the Out and Equal. They refer us, in their ad, to target.com/diversity. In the article above I point out that all references to LGBT diversity have been removed from their site. Presumably the references were still there in October.
I also found it interesting that three Dallas companies are sponsoring Creating Change and the two big Minneapolis companies so far are not. That conference is staged by NGLTF not HRC so that has nothing to do with “paying off” HRC. And for the record, HRC wasn’t looking for a payoff. They were looking for an equal donation directed toward the LGBT community.
But nice try, Jason. We know Target company shills have regularly been trying to rebut any posts that go against them. It’s why your store managers were apparently instructed to throw out any reporters who even ask questions about the effect of any boycott.
I’m not trying to start an argument with you and I apologize for confusing your blog with news (my mistake). I work for Target and have worked there for almost 10 years. I can assure you that Target is a gay-friendly company (and far ahead of ANY of their relative competitors.).
My paycheck and many others LGBT people’s comes from Target and you can choose to boycott all you want, but our growth is far exceeding our competitors. Target is a strong company and is taking strides to show their commitment. A simple check has no meaning. Participation in conferences like Out and Equal and partnerships with other organizations is how things will change – knowledge, education, understanding.
This was 6 months ago. They have apologized, taken steps in the right direction, and have plans and policies in place to not only prevent this but strengthen the relationships that were damaged. I’m not a spokesperson for the company nor am I one to yell at. I am an employee simply trying to share some inside perspective.
Jason, show me where target has announced publicly their “plans and policies in place to not only prevent this but strengthen the relationships that were damaged”. Because as a Minneapolis gay male involved with Twin Cities Pride I have seen and heard nothing of this. Target has made ZERO attempts to rectify the situation publicly. Unless of course you can show me otherwise.