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Target’s Transgender Bathroom Policy Causes Outrage, Customers Threaten Boycott

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 10:42 PST, Apr 21, 2016

Target’s transgender bathroom policy has been updated, and is causing outrage among current and former customers.

In a post on the retailer’s website, Target explained that they are “continuing to stand for inclusivity,” and would allow their employees and customers to use whichever bathroom or fitting room that corresponds to their gender identity.

“Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. It’s something we celebrate,” Target wrote. “We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day.”

“We believe that everyone—every team member, every guest, and every community—deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally,” the second largest discount retailer in the nation continued. “Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.”

The federal Equality Act was introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley, Tammy Baldwin, and Cory Booker, and Representatives David Cicilline and John Lewis last year. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the act was created to establish “explicit, permanent protections against discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity in matters of employment, housing, access to public places, federal funding, credit, education and jury service.”

Caroline Wanga, Target’s senior director of diversity and inclusion, issued a statement last September explaining that Target had signed on to support the act.

“Target proudly stands with the LGBT community through all that we do,” Wanga said at the time. “From our partnerships with organizations like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), to our volunteer efforts, and even the products we sell. We want to be a champion for an inclusive society by using our influence and resources to support equality in the communities where our team members and guests live and work.”

Despite Target’s efforts to stand by the LGBTQ community, Target’s bathroom policy has caused outrage with their customers, with many of them taking to social media to suggest a boycott.

The American Family Association is also calling for a boycott of all Target stores after the transgender bathroom announcement was made.

“Target’s policy is exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims,” the boycott website reads. “And with Target publicly boasting that men can enter women’s bathrooms, where do you think predators are going to go?”

The association says Target is endangering the safety of women and children by allowing men to enter the women’s restroom. Therefore, they are asking all customers to sign the boycott, pledging to not shop at Target stores, until they change their policy. So far, 79,731 have signed the boycott.

To read Target’s full statement on their transgender bathroom policy, click here.

Do you think transgender individuals should be able to use the bathroom of their choice? Do you agree with Target’s decision? Leave your comments below.

[Image by artzenter/Shutterstock.com]

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