No one can argue that over the past decade plus since Target stores started bringing in big designer names their business has gone up dramatically. You’re on board with me so far, right? Good. Well, who, may I ask, are designers? Let me re-phrase that: what are designers (other than talented, fabulous and ‘all that’?) They are gay!
Think about it. Let’s look at some of the Target designers of late:
1. Jean Paul Gaultier. Queerer than a three-dollar bill and I mean that with the utmost respect; the man is a genius. I have been a massive fan of his since his mid-80’s Russian collection, of which I still have three pieces. (Alas, I digress; this piece is about designers’ gayness not my own.)
2. Alexander McQueen. God rest his gay soul.
3. Mossimo. Aw, hells now. If he ain’t gay; I ain’t gay. But I almost forgot; he’s ‘married.’
4. Napoleon Perdis. See his name. If you doubt that, see his medallion. Still not sure? Check out those brows, Girl. Not since Damone has a queen rocked a brow so tight.
5. Zac Posen. Hmm. Is Zac Posen gay? Let’s answer that with a riddle: did Aretha Franklin wear a big ass hat to the inauguration? Then yes. Zac Posen is a homo.
What’s my point? My point is this, Target: it is on the back of gay people that you resurrected your store and turned it from an average, K-Mart type discount store, and turned it into a fun, fresh, lively place to shop. You hired gay designers, and likely gay people in advertising, marketing and branding—let’s not forget that while statistics show that 10% of the population is gay, experts estimate that in so-called “creative” fields the number is as high as 52%—and we gay people turned your store around in good faith. We did this because you provided benefits to your LGBT workers’ partners; we did this because you sponsored Pride events; we did this because you hired openly gay staff.
That all came to a grinding halt the moment you contributed $150,000 to MN Forward, the right-wing PAC, and Tom Emmer, their gubernatorial candidate who takes a blatant anti-gay stance on his website and in his press releases.
If you, Target, support anti-gay politicians, then we don’t support you. I’m calling on you, LGBT community, as well as all you supporters of the LGBT community to do something about it. Boycott Target until they change their anti-gay stance. Boycott Best Buy; they contributed $100,000 to the same cause. Join the boycott Target and boycott Best Buy groups on Facebook. Take it to the streets. Do like this MN grandmother did: go to Target, buy a whole lot of stuff, return it, and videotape the whole affair. Speak to their manager and tell them you’ll never shop at Target again until they stop supporting anti-gay politicians. You could always go straight to the source and contact Target’s CEO Gregg Steinhafel directly.
Whatever you do; do something.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Got a flyer from Target in the mail for their latest bunch of crap for sale. I threw it in the trash as every good LGBT should do. What do we need with stuff from a company who takes our money to give it to someone who disses our LGBT rights.