With Gay Greeting Card Line, We’re Pretty Sure Target is Just F*@#ing With Us Now

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Jul 16, 2012 in Business | 18 comments

Same-sex marriages aren’t recognized in most states, but Target stores nationwide are now selling greeting cards to celebrate them.

Placed on card racks under the headings of “For two special men” and “For two special women,” the cards are adorned with phrases such as “Mr. & Mr.” and “Two very special women, one very special love.”

The cards hit shelves in mid-June, a month after the retailer began selling T-shirts with gay pride themes, and two years after Target drew a backlash for a $150,000 donation it made to a group backing Tom Emmer, the Republican gubernatorial candidate who opposed gay marriage.

Target offers a range of greeting cards that appeal to a variety of audiences, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, spokeswoman Molly Snyder said.

“Target is focused on diversity and inclusivity,” she said.

Whoever wrote this article is clearly drinking from a different pitcher of the Target Kool-Aid than the rest of us though.

“All the actions Target has taken since the MN Forward kerfuffle have been friendly to the gay community,” Rao said, “and this is one more in those long line of steps.”

Does the name Frank Ocean ring any bells?

All of this back-and-forth on the very, very easy to navigate issue of doing the right thing has our brains melting out of our ears and dripping all over the floor in the shape of the Target logo.

Target’s rich history of homophobic missteps means that while these cards are certainly welcome, it will be a good long while before we’re comfortable with the idea of giving this company our dollah-dollah bills or suggesting you do.

What’s with Target’s 50 Shades of Gay? Why can’t they maintain a consistent LGBT business policy?

(via Star Tribune)

http://www.facebook.com/tmckarnen Travis McKarnen

Why do people equate target donating money to a candidate that doesnt support gay marriage as homophobic? It’s good business to support the candidate that holds the best interest of your company. Does this mean that all people voting for Romney are homophobic? No. That would just be ignorant to assume. And as for Frank Ocean…Target had no intent to stock his CD in their stores prior to him coming out. Why should they then stock his CD just because he came out. It doesnt make sense. Stop victimizing people and throwing the word homophobic around.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_425ZAITBK75GPC7CEGB25SLWR4 Blake

I agree completely. There are plenty of truly homophobic stories in the media and truly difficult problems the gay community needs to tackle without manufacturing new ones.
Inis_Magrath

— “Does this mean that all people voting for Romney are homophobic? No. That would just be ignorant to assume.”

Mitt Romney champions the idea of a constitutional amendment to deprive gay people of their rights. I am very comfortable assuming that anyone who votes for Romney is, if not outright homophobic, at least callously indifferent to the cause of basic human dignity and civil rights for all.

Patrick Halmer

That is akin to generalizing all those who voted for Obama in the 2008 election as homophobes as he was against same-sex marriages then as well..There are important issues that are more important to Americans than gay marriage and it is very pompous to believe individuals should drop other principles they believe in.

http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Jonathan/1593266147 David Jonathan

There are gay Americans. Therefore, gay marriage is important to Americans.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Teran-Winter/23801805 Teran Winter

Sorry but Obama wasn’t against gay marriage. Although he maintained the idea that he “personally” believe marriage to be between one man and one woman, he ran a platform that encouraged states to legalize gay marriage and he ran saying that as president he would overturn DOMA (so if a state did legalize gay marriage those people would also get federal rights.) That is more supportive of gay marriage than any previous president. People need to stop saying Obama’s position was the same in 2008 as Romney’s in 2012 (or McCain’s in 2008) , it makes you seem uneducated.
http://profile.yahoo.com/RKD2L27HPN7SZDQFGKEEZFSNYI Naked

Obama was the lesser of two evils. The democrat party in general is more gay friendly than the republican party. Also, even when Obama was not for gay marriage nation wide, (how i would want someone to be) Obama was the person least likely to set the gay movements back a step. Like you said, there are things more important to the American people right now, but what this whole target thing is all about is letting people know that it is a priority to some of us. The more we speak up, the more likely that other people will start to see is as a priority too. Even if Target did not give the money to those people for homophobic reasons, we still need to let them know that we will not support them because they support people that have tried to take us a step back. If the coorperations find out that we are not supporting this behavior then maybe there will be more funding to people that do support gay rights, and more will get done for the gay rights movement. This will bring attention to issue at hand and then it will be one of the most important issues to Americans. So it all kind of goes full circle, and is a little confusing. Sorry for the long comment. :c I got carried away

Josh Elder

Because that wasn’t the only thing Target did. So before spouting off at the mouth, maybe educate yourself?
Target donated to multiple candidates who do not support Same-Sex Marriage, who believe that Homosexuality is an illness that can and should be cured, that have ties to extreme Christian Organizations that have made outrageous comments about executing Homosexuals.
The CEO and his wife continually donate to political candidates and organizations that spread ridiculous lies about the LGBT Community. Their daughter also attends one of the most anti-gay religious institutions in the United States.
I agree on the Frank Ocean front, I don’t believe it has anything to do with LGBT issues. But as for why people, like myself, hate Target. I believe we are very justified and they have forever lost my business. Considering it was my favorite store (above Wal-Mart and all other large retailers) I am saddened but have lived without it.

http://www.facebook.com/tmckarnen Travis McKarnen

Can we say guilty by association? Until I see them specifically donate to something like prop 8 then I will continue to assume that their intentions are for the benefit of their corporation. Also, feel free to assume that I didn’t “educate” myself before making an informed decision based on a small paragraph. And just in case no one ever taught you, putting a smiley face at the end of a rude and biased sentence doesn’t make it okay to say.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1664732393 Jim Self

I am in agreement with you Travis.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=735035983 Amanda Lee-Pearl Moore

I’d like to point out that Frank Ocean didn’t “come out.” People took a simple statement and are being very overzealous. He admitted to having a same sex lover at one point in his life, but he did NOT call himself gay, straight, bisexual, or anything else. Having one same sex lover doesn’t make you gay, in my book.
http://profile.yahoo.com/NVMUMSIP6WI3G7ZLLFHZIRSXGE Roax Xanthamonas

I can back up those claims. I worked for Target for a short while and amongst their brainwashing anti-union videos (akin to old school Wal-Mart) was one stating that if you openly belonged to any “alternative” (and under alternative was a list of several different LGBT and political affiliations) groups, or professed anything other than what they as a private company espouse, you could be fired at will.

http://profile.yahoo.com/LS5UAW7AABC6GKJCQH6YSEPFGY Eric

Just went to Target. Found a Melissa Etheridge CD. Found an Adam Lambert CD. Yeah, Target doesn’t sell music by out gay artists.
http://www.facebook.com/dgandara Daniel Gandara

So take LGBTA money, and give it to Anti-LGBTA groups. I’m still not convinced Target is on our side until I see them supporting our organizations and giving rather than taking from us.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Freddie-Martinez/1119015148 Freddie Martinez

Target is a great company, they did not base there decision on the fact that the organization supported an anti-Gay agenda, they made it because of tax issues that would put a lot more money in the company. I have worked for target twice now and have never experienced a more friendly place to work as a gay male. I have brought my fiance in and everyone loves him. I was even congratulated many times when we got engaged. Many of my co-workers were also gay, lesbian, and even one trans individual. also they are inclusive of many religions and support and back you if there is ANY issue that arises. I shop there many times in the month and the only reason they don’t fill my prescriptions anymore is because another store is closer. As for President Obama, He didn’t support gay marriage Federally. He said it is up to the states to make the decision and I agree with him. If we shove gay marriage down everyone’s throat we are no better then the anti gay people. Power to the people, if the majority rules then I support that decision (even if for me its ethically wrong). Also with the cards, I am glad someone outside of porn stores carry them. Now teens can buy them for there crushes or first loves.

Sorry for the rant.

http://twitter.com/DrThiltgen Grant

I’m sorry Freddie, there is a difference between how they treat their employees in store, and what they do on a corporate level. Look at Starbucks. Not only do they treat their employees well in the stores, they also look at their issues as something that they need to be aware of as a corporation. Target seems to treat their employees great, then turn around and give money to politicians that are actively seeking to deny gay people rights in this country. And yes, it is incredibly selfish if they are doing it because they want to keep their money. I mean we all do, but sometimes people need to suck things up and do it for the greater good, not just put more money in their already inflated pockets.

Also, asking for equal rights is not “shoving gay marriage down everyone’s throat”. And the majority rules? It doesn’t work when it comes to the basic civil rights of people. The majority of people in the 60′s were against interracial marriage. Look it up. The statistics are there. Does that mean the country was wrong to change the law and allow interracial marriage and prevent segregation? Things like that aren’t okay. And in case you haven’t been paying attention, the majority (which means >50%) of people in the US now actually support same sex marriage. They’ve done the polls, and again the statistics are out there.

I think when gay people are finally given all the equal treatment under the law that they deserve, then the “shoving down their throats” will ease out, but until then, that’s the only way we’re going to get any change done. People actively protested against segregation, were they “shoving it down their throats”? No, they were standing up for something they believe in: Equal rights for a marginalized group of people.

http://www.facebook.com/functionofjames James T Burchfield

Do you guys read these comments? You’re the worst.
http://profile.yahoo.com/WXHJ72PLH5OOT4RUKLGLYXFK6M Aj Winters

Ok, but see once again, UB is wrongly presenting the idea that they are not selling Frank Ocean Cd’s because of his same sex attraction. They made that decision solely based on the fact that he snubbed them business wise by selling to online media BEFORE making his cd’s available to the stores therefor cutting into the potential profits. That is why they aren’t selling his newest cd. Unless I’m mistaken, and I may well be, they are still selling his other cd’s and they still sell the cd’s of Ricky Martin and Adam Lambert and Mellisa Ethridge so it’s not as if it’s a same sex attraction thing. Yes, they admitted to doing wrong in the past and they are specifically trying to do better so I for one am willing to give them another chance as a company to make good on their attempted turn about.

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