Angry Gay Shoppers Protest At New Uptown Target

LGBTs angered by Target Corporation's $150,000 of support for a strident anti-gay candidate for governor in the company's home state of Minnesota picketed and protested at the retail chain's new Uptown store Aug. 14.

"They should be aware of the money that we spend at their stores," said Rick Heintz, one of the protest organizers. "And we don't want to see our money spent that way."

Protesters picket in front of the new Uptown Target Aug. 14. Photo by St. Sukie de la Croix

A lot of LGBT people around the country apparently feel the same way. Since news came out last month of Target's donation of $100,000 in cash and $50,000 in in-kind services to MN Forward, tens of thousands of people have signed on in support of a boycott of the retail giant. MN Forward, a political action committee, has used the money to buy TV ads in support of Tom Emmer, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota who, as a state representative, has been a staunch opponent of LGBT rights and has praised and appeared with a Christian rock band whose frontman said that Muslims who advocate killing gays are "more moral than American Christians."

Electronics chain Best Buy has also come under fire for donating $100,000 to MN Forward, but it is Target's donations that have galvanized LGBT anger the most.

"Do not shop at Best Buy and do not shop at Target," said protester Kelly Sheridan. "I will not be shopping at any of these places until the money is returned."

One of the organizers of the protest, Zachary Fraum, 16, said he just came out publicly last week.

"I think we all know that what Target has done is wrong," Fraum said. "We all agree on how badly they've wronged us. It would be wrong not to protest."

The political donations were made possible by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in January that freed corporations to spend unlimited funds to influence elections, and Target first reacted to the LGBT backlash by stating that the company supported Emmer for his business-related stances, without regard to his position on social issues. That only fanned the flames on the issue, and Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel subsequently apologized to employees of the company Aug. 5 but the wording of his apology did little to mollify LGBT outrage at the contributions.

"I realize our decision affected many of you in a way I did not anticipate, and for that I am genuinely sorry," Steinhafel's letter to employees stated.

"Steinhafel needs to issue an apology to the entire LGBT community," said Bob Schwartz, of the Gay Liberation Network, which helped stage the protest in Uptown.

Beyond that, protesters said, the company needs to do far more to repair the damage.

"The (Target) PR department gives us that sloppy-ass excuse, just the same drivel we've heard a thousand times before," David Mansfield said.

While Target is reportedly negotiating to donate an equal amount to the Human Rights Campaign, the protesters in Uptown, as well as many others around the country, want the company to request that MN Forward return its donation and donate funds directly to groups in Minnesota to use to elect candidates who support full equality for LGBTs.

"We've had our experience with 'Gay, Inc.' types of organizations," said GLN's Andy Thayer. "At a bare minimum, they (Target) have to demand that money back and then donate it to a Minnesota gay organization."

Target has had a good rating in HRC's corporate equality index, largely due to its domestic partnership policies for LGBT employees and its past support of Minneapolis Pride and LGBT groups such as PFLAG. But in an Aug. 9 article in The Awl, based in New York, journalist Abe Sauer noted that after the company changed hands in 2000 and Steinhafel took over, Target's donations to groups such as Planned Parenthood ceased. Since then, Sauer wrote, Target executives have made numerous and substantial contributions to right-wing, anti-LGBT candidates. One of the three top Target executives who make decisions on Target's political contributions, Vice President of Government Affairs Matt Zabel, formerly worked for U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who sponsored a constitutional amendment to ban marriage for gays and lesbians, supported a bill to ban adoptions by gay and lesbian parents in the District of Columbia and received a 0-percent rating on LGBT issues from HRC.

Thayer and other protesters noted that their fight was not with employees of Target but with its corporate bosses. The manager of the new Target, Sunda Obendorf, said she hopes LGBT shoppers in Chicago keep that in mind.

"Obviously we're pretty close to the LGBT community here in Uptown," Obendorf said. "Somewhere between 15-20 percent of our team are members of the community. ...The reason I came here is because of our diversity stance. I think that's one of the beautiful things about our company."