Target’s Transgender Bathroom Policy Boycott Grows, #BoycottTarget Is Born
Target’s new transgender bathroom policy has thrust the retail giant into the national spotlight. Being the first retailer to officially weight in on the transgender bathroom subject, Target has set itself up to be the first pariah. Following a statement on its website that said, in part, that, for its transgender customers, Target would support the federal Equality Act, which provides protection to the transgender community. Target also went on record decrying “action that enables discrimination,” presumably a dig against North Carolina, which has faced boycotts and become late-night TV fodder due to that state’s anti-LGBT legislation.
“Recent debate around proposed laws in several states has reignited a national conversation around inclusivity. So earlier this week, we reiterated with our team members where Target stands and how our beliefs are brought to life in how we serve our guests.
“Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. It’s something we celebrate. 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. Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.”
As a result of Target’s transgender bathroom policy, the retail chain has now become the target of a boycott. Though not as substantial as the boycott which has sighted North Carolina in its crosshairs (costing the state PayPal, a plethora of performing artists, and even the business of multiple municipalities), the newly implemented Target boycott could end up costing the company’s bottom line.
Apparently, to some, it’s legitimate for states to try to promote “bathroom bills” and other anti-LGBT legislation, but it’s crossing a line for a corporation to take as stand against discrimination. Target, as the first national retailer to publicly weigh in on the LGBT subject publicly, is bearing the brunt of conservative anti-LGBT activism.
I just used the bathroom at Target and all I witnessed were several fashion crimes in progress.
— molly (@MollySneed) April 23, 2016
On Saturday, April 22, Breitbart reported that over 250,000 people had already signed the boycott petition circulated by the American Family Association. According to the American Family Association’s Director of Government Affairs, Sandy Rios, Target “jumped into” the transgender bathroom debate, effectively saying that “men who claim to be women may use whatever bathroom or changing room they choose.”
According to Rios, a “gender neutral” bathroom would be enough to satisfy herself and her organization, although she doubts that such a compromise would “satisfy the left.”
The American Family Association has also had to field its share of social media complaints regarding its boycott.
The American Family Association president had some words to share about the Target transgender bathroom policy himself. As Yahoo! News reports, Tim Wildmon posted an open letter to the public regarding his thoughts on the Target bathroom policy. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t impressed.
“Target’s policy is exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims. This means a man can simply say he ‘feels like a woman today’ and enter the women’s restroom… even if young girls or women are already in there.”
What Wildmon fails to address in his anti-Target diatribe are the facts and statistics regarding sexual predators. According to the statistics, the majority of child sex offenders have never developed an adult sexual orientation. Indeed, according to U.C. Davis, most child sex offenders identify as straight. They are the men using the men’s room and sneaking into the women’s room. They are not deterred by restroom signs, and little children are far more likely to be sexually assaulted by a known, trusted person in their own home than by a transsexual stranger in a Target bathroom.
As it stands, Target will be dealing with some repercussions from its decision to publicly support the LGBT community with its new bathroom policy. However, there’s no research that indicates that the Target bathroom policy will put any customer at a greater risk than they were before it was implemented.
After all, juveniles were victims of sexual assault in public bathrooms long before Target implemented its new transgender bathroom policy; could it be that sexual predators don’t care about the signs on the doors?
[Image Courtesy Of Scott Olson/Getty Images]
