Guess who's coming out of the closet these days? Well, they're not so much "who"s as they are "what"s; they're corporations, and they're stepping up and taking a stand for gay rights!
After years of refusing to take a side in the debate, Target has finally announced its support for same-sex marriage.
On Tuesday, Target signed an amicus brief (which is “a brief filed with the court by someone who is not a party to the case," or in non-legalese, an argument that an uninvolved person or group makes to persuade the court) in a case before a Chicago federal appeals court. The case is dealing with legal issues in Indiana and Wisconsin, where bans on gay marriage have been struck down by lower courts.
“It is our belief that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and that includes rights we believe individuals should have related to marriage,” wrote Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Jodee Kozlak on Target’s corporate blog.
Target is joining the company of Apple, Facebook and Nike, all of which have announced their support for gay marriage.
However, it hasn't been a straightforward path to this stance for the retailer.
In 2011, Lady Gaga decided not to release an exclusive, Target-only edition of her album, “Born This Way,” after she learned that the retail chain had donated money to politicians who opposed gay rights, like Minnesota Congressmen Erik Paulsen and John Kline.
In 2012, despite putting out registry ads that depicted two grooms, Target refused to pick a side in the Minnesota battle over a state amendment that would ban gay marriage.
“We recognize that there is a broad range of strongly held views on the MN Marriage amendment,"said a Target spokesperson at the time.
But, as Target pointed out on its blog on Tuesday, it has long offered “comprehensive, competitive benefits to our LGBT team members… often above what is legally required.” And there’s no mistaking that the company is standing up for gay rights now.
“We believe that everyone — all of our team members and our guests — deserve to be treated equally. And at Target we are proud to support the LGBT community,” said Kozlak.
And we're proud of you, Target!