Target’s stand on gender identity inclusivity is firm.
On Wednesday, May 11—in the wake of the submission of roughly 1.2 million petition signatures to boycott the retailer—Target’s chief exec, Brian Cornell, confirmed that the company would not reverse its public restroom policy.
Despite backlash—and a rising number of consumers’ saying they’ll refuse to shop at Target— The Washington Post reports that Cornell will uphold the company’s decision to let guests and staff use whichever bathroom corresponds with their gender identity.
“We took a stance, and we’re going to continue to embrace our belief of diversity and inclusion, just how important that is to our company, but we’re also going to make sure our focus on safety is unwavering,” Cornell said Wednesday.
Here’s the gist of the original statement from April 20:
In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.
A stark divide
The petition—started by the Mississippi-based American Family Association—continues to gain traction online.
“Target’s policy is exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims,” its website states in bolded text.
In light of Target’s initial response, AFA execs updated its website to propose the following:
One solution is a common-sense approach and a reasonable solution to the issue of transgendered customers: A unisex bathroom. Target should keep separate facilities for men and women, but for the trans community and for those who simply like using the bathroom alone, a single occupancy unisex option should be provided.
Although Cornell didn’t specify whether Target is considering “unisex bathrooms,” he did mention the brand’s “family restrooms” in a CNBC interview on Wednesday:
What’s been lost in this story is the fact that, what we also talked about, is that the vast majority of our stores—actually over 1,400 of our stores—already have a family restroom. And we’re committed over the next few months to make sure every one of our stores has that option, because we want our guests to be welcomed in our stores.
Public trust and Target’s reputation
Since the retail chain’s announcement in April, articles, videos and numerous petitions to boycott the retailer have emerged.
Breitbart reports that some believe Target’s identity as a family-friendly store has taken a hit, as the online conversation has quickly turned to concerns over “privacy, sexual predators, and the anger at the company’s disregard for its middle-class customers.”
“That’s a million families who are going to spread the word about Target, so they may not get those customers back,” Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, told Breitbart. “This is how people can fight back.”
Beliefs, messaging and Target’s target audience
Target has increasingly become a go-to destination for millennial consumers. Data from Prosper Insights show that millennials’ tendencies to shop at Target outpace their desire to shop at Wal-Mart in 24 of 25 categories.
To become popular with this demographic, Target has positioned itself as a lifestyle and “fashion” brand and has developed a solid reputation as an apparel and accessories retailer.
[RELATED: Master social media methods to turn skeptical millennials into brand advocates.]
A Fusion poll—which surveyed 1,000 millennials—found that 50 percent of consumers ages 18 to 34 “felt that gender is a spectrum,” and that “some people fall outside of conventional categories.”
Pew Research Center data show that a large number of millennials support same-sex marriage—73 percent of millennials said gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry legally, and just 24 percent said they should not.
Based on the numbers, Target’s position on LGBT issues is loyal to the views of that primary audience. Continuing its stand will probably bind ties with millennial consumers, because the numbers indicate strong support for LGBT rights among that demographic.
A national stage
Target’s voice is an important factor in the national debate over gender identity and how it should relate to various public restroom policies.
In a related response to North Carolina’s H2 law, The New York Times reports that today the Obama administration issued letters to every public school district in the country directing them to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their particular gender identity.
Here’s more from The Times:
It does not have the force of law, but it contains an implicit threat: Schools that do not abide by the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law could face lawsuits or a loss of federal aid. It represents the latest example of the Obama administration using a combination of policies, lawsuits and public statements to change the civil rights landscape for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people. After supporting the rights of gay people to marry, allowing them to serve openly in the military and prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against them, the administration is wading into the battle over bathrooms and siding with transgender people.
How do you think Target—and other business that support LGBT rights—will continue to affect this national dialogue, Ragan readers?
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