Human Rights Campaign calls out Target, Best Buy over gift to MN Forward, Emmer’s ties to anti-gay ministry
Monday, August 02, 2010 at 2:12 pm
- 4 Comments
Based in part on reporting by the Minnesota Independent, the Human Rights Campaign has launched a petition and open letter calling on big box stores Target and Best Buy to give $250,000 — the amount the Minnesota-headquartered companies gave to pro-Tom Emmer PAC MN Forward — to groups that support candidates backing equality for gay and lesbian families. On Friday, HRC launched its campaign with an announcement that referenced reporter Andy Birkey’s piece linking Emmer to You Can Run But You Cannot Hide. The head of that group, an Annandale ministry that brings an overtly Christian message to public school assemblies, recently said that Muslim countries calling for the execution of gays and lesbians are “more moral than even the American Christians.” Emmer, whose former campaign donated to the group, says of the “These are nice people.”
Target and Best Buy usually get 100% scores on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, but the group states in its open letter that the $250,000 in contributions to a candidate who opposes equality for same-sex couples is like a “punch in the gut to those of us who want to see all families treated fairly.”
“What may have sounded like a ‘good business decision’ in the board room turns out to be a horribly short-sighted business decision when millions of consumers lose respect for your companies,” it states.
The group is seeking public signatures for the letter (pdf), and ran the letter as a full-page ad in the Star Tribune on Sunday.
OutFront Minnesota, the state’s largest LGBT advocacy group, also called out Target for the donation: “OutFront Minnesota is disappointed and appalled to learn that Target’s political action committee recently contributed $150,000 to a right-wing political group called Minnesota Forward, which is working to elect State Representative Tom Emmer – a candidate with a long history of attacks against GLBT Minnesotans and their families for his own political gain,” it said in a recent statement.
Birkey’s reporting on Emmer and You Can Run was also cited as one of author Anne Rice’s reasons for quitting Christianity. Of You Can Run frontman Bradlee Dean’s words about the morality of those calling for the killing of LGBT people, she wrote, “No wonder people despise us, Christians, and think we are an ignorant and violent lot. I don’t blame them. This kind of thing makes me weep. Maybe commitment to Christ means not being a Christian.”
4 Comments
Comment posted August 18, 2010 @ 9:18 am
I believe these boycotts, attacking companies for exercising free speech, is illegal, and an unfair trade practice. It cannot be protected under the guise of IRS regs and the 1st Amendment. You people are job killers. I don’t support your boycott, or your supposed “right” to kill Minnesota jobs to make a point. I don’t believe in any kind of violence against people because of their gender issues. That’s wrong. But so is killing jobs and violating the rights of corporations or businesses to advance their interests in the elections.
And I also don’t believe Tom Emmer is disqualified because of his religious beliefs from running for governor or receiving pro-business support. Could you boycotters at some time just put your signs down, shop at wherever it is you do, and focus on whether Emmer’s proposals, Horner’s proposals or Dayton’s are the best for the economy.
For some reason you want to distract the voters from the issues. Is it because you really are afraid of Tom Emmer? It’s hard to believe you are. You link unrelated events. You start with that rock band, to Tom Emmer, to the appearance of the lead singer on a radio show, then it’s to Target, then to MNForward and the Chamber of Commerce, then a donation to Emmer’s campaign for state purposes, now you’re terrified Emmer, Target? Isn’t this a little over the top? If you were to win friends and influence people during the campaign, is this the way you want to present yourselves? This is your vision for Minnesota, killings more jobs in the biggest recession since the Great Depression?
Comment posted August 19, 2010 @ 7:21 pm
I just purchased something from Target today, and will this weekend and the commercial that’s airing on Minnesota TV’s will only make Minnesotan’s purchase more from our favorite local store – TARGET. Can’t you see that your rants are giving Target free publicity. HA HA
You can thank Target too for giving money to the Pride Festival that took place at Loring Park in Mpls last month. A festival that gays, lesbians and transsexuals can come together and celebrate – Good luck getting money from them again….
Comment posted December 20, 2010 @ 7:23 pm
Boycotts don’t kill jobs; they shift business to other companies. It’s not like people won’t buy household essentials or electronics from other retailers. In addition, boycotts are the only power consumers have over corporations. Since you don’t vote for how a coporation is run (unless you are a shareholder) then you can “vote” to take your business elsewhere. Personally, I don’t believe corporations have a place in politics. Citizens should run this country, not entities that are out for a profit.
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