OVER 100 LEADING LGBTQ+ ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS AND ALLIES CALL ON TARGET AND BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO REJECT COORDINATED, EXTREMIST ANTI-LGBTQ+ ATTACKS

Organizations that have signed on to the statement include UltraViolet, Equality Federation, Georgia Equality, Equality Virginia, CenterLink, Garden State Equality, Matthew Shepard Foundation, NMAC

WASHINGTON – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), GLAAD, GLSEN, Family Equality, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Center for Lesbian Rights and National Black Justice Coalition, in partnership with more than 100 organizations, renewed their call for Target and the business community to reject and speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ extremism going into Pride Month. Additionally, the coalition stands in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ employees at companies like Target, as well as the designers of Pride merchandise, who have experienced horrendous, unhinged attacks while simply showing up to work. Harassment and threats of violence, anywhere and at any time, against good people just doing their jobs to make a living is completely unacceptable and irrational. As highlighted in the statement below, the coalition has communicated expectations that Target provide necessary security measures for employees’ safety while also showing support for the LGBTQ+ community by denouncing extremists.

The full coalition statement is as follows: 

Recent pushback against businesses such as Anheuser-Busch and Target, blatantly organized by extremist groups, serves as a wake up call for all businesses that support the LGBTQ+ community. We’ve seen this extremist playbook of attacks before. Their goal is clear: to prevent  LGBTQ+ inclusion and representation, silence our allies and make our community invisible. These attacks fuel hate against LGBTQ+ people, just as we’ve seen this year with more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that restrict basic freedoms and aim to erase LGBTQ+ people.

Extremist attacks and harassment of businesses for standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and values of diversity, equity and inclusion have challenged Target, and businesses more broadly, to lead – to demonstrate they mean what they say when investing in and standing with LGBTQ+ people, creatives, and organizations. Businesses must continue to lead and respond with unwavering support for LGBTQ+ employees, shareholders, customers, allies – and the broader community. When values of diversity, equity and inclusion are tested, businesses must defend them unequivocally.

Doubling down on your values is not only the right thing to do, it’s good for business. Research shows that if a brand publicly supports and demonstrates a commitment to expanding and protecting LGBTQ+ rights, Americans are 2x more likely to buy or use the brand. Americans ages 18-34 are 5.5x more likely to want to work at a company if it publicly supports and demonstrates a commitment to expanding and protecting LGBTQ+ rights.

It isn’t just LGBTQ+ consumers and communities: 70% of non-LGBTQ+ people believe companies should publicly support and include the LGBTQ+ community through practices like hiring, advertising and sponsorships (Accelerating Acceptance, 2023).

At this moment, it’s critical that Target champions equity and inclusion as it has for over a decade. Target consistently tops the list for brands that show genuine, authentic support of the LGBTQ+ community through outreach and policies. Target received recognition for outstanding commitment to DEI from the Executive Leadership Council in 2022. It’s time to prove the recognition was earned.   

When it comes to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, there is no such thing as neutrality. 

We’re calling on Target to:

• release a public statement in the next 24 hours reaffirming their commitment to the LGBTQ+ community
• put Pride merchandise back on the sales floor and online in full
• ensure safety of team members who are on the front lines 

Target, and all businesses, can leverage the support of LGBTQ+ organizations to navigate this hate, so that together, we can let extremists know unequivocally that, just as with every other failed anti-LGBTQ+ campaign of the past, fear will not win.

The following organizations have signed on to the statement:

AAPI Victory Alliance

Accountable For Equality

Ace and Aro Alliance of Central Ohio

Alaskans Together for Equality

All Under One Roof LGBT Advocates of Southeastern Idaho

Alliance For Full Acceptance

Arizona Trans Youth and Parent Organization

Bans Off Miami

Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice

Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC)

Brooklyn Community Pride Center

Capital Pride Alliance

Carolinas CARE Partnership

CASA

CASA in Action

Center for Psychological Growth

Center on Halsted

CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers

Central Valley Pride

Centre LGBT+

City of Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission

Colors+

Compass LGBTQ Community Center

Delmarva Pride Center

Diverse & Resilient

Eastern PA Trans Equity Project

Emerald Coast Equality

Equality California

Equality Community Center

Equality Federation

Equality Michigan

Equality NC

Equality New York

Equality Virginia

EqualityMaine

EqualityMaine

Equitas Health

Fairness Campaign

Family Equality

Florida Freedom to Read Project

FREE MOM HUGS

Freedom Oklahoma

Freedom Virginia

Garden State Equality

Georgia Equality

GLAAD

GLSEN

GMHC

Grand Strand PRIDE

Henderson Equality Center

Hope CommUnity Center

Hudson Pride Center

I Am Human Foundation

inclusion tennessee

Indiana Youth Group (IYG)

Institute for LGBT Health and Wellbeing

InterPride

Kaleidoscope Youth Center

Lavender Rights Project

Lexington Pride Center

LGBT Center of Raleigh

LGBT Detroit

LGBT+ Family & Games

LGBTQ Center OC

LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada

Live Out Loud

Los Angeles LGBT Center

Louisiana Trans Advocates

Louisiana Trans Advocates

Make the Road Nevada

Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

Matthew Shepard Foundation

Milwaukee LGBT Community Center

MoCo Pride Center

Muncie OUTreach LGBTQ+ Center

National Black Justice Coalition

National Center for Lesbian Rights

National LGBTQ Task Force

NMAC

North Las Vegas Equality Center

North San Diego County LGBTQ Resource Center

NYC Pride

Oklahoma Progress Now

One Colorado

One In Long Beach, Inc.

OUTMemphis

OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

Point of Pride

Pride at Work – Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter

Pride Foundation

Prism Counseling & Community Services

Project Pride SRQ

Queer Northshore

QUEERSPACE collective

Qweerty Gamers

Rainbow Rose Center

Real Mama Bears

Resource Center

Rockland County Pride Center

Sacramento LGBT Community Center

Seacoast Outright

Shoals Diversity Center

Silver State Equality

SPEKTRUM Health

St. Tammany Library Alliance

Stonewall Columbus

Tennessee Equality Project

The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection

The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

the Montrose Center

The Normal Anomaly Initiative, Inc

The Personal Stories Project

The Pride Center at Equality Park

The Sacred Cloth Project

The Spahr Center

TransFamily Support Services

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico

Transgender Resource Education and Enrichment Services-TREES Inc.

Transinclusive Group

TransOhio

Truth Wins Out

UltraViolet

Upstate SC LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce

Uptown Gay and Lesbian Alliance (UGLA)

Us Giving Richmond Connections

Waves Ahead Corp

We Are Family

Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Women’s Emergency Network

Woodhull Freedom Foundation

YouthSeen

Zebra Youth

603 Equality