Steve Balich Editors note: This article is based on a false narrative. The Attorney General is saying certain a certain group of people are being pointed out because of gender. There is no reference to the rights of parents who do not want their children exposed to sexual anything especially at young ages. The rights of people that don’t want to shop or participate in or with an person, place, or thing are being put to the side. THIS IS STILL AMERICA WITH A CONSTITUTION THAT DOES NOT ALLOW GOVERNMENT TO MANDATE ANYTHING ON US!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I won’t shop at Target, Buy Bud Light, or even watch sports in opposition to what they are trying to shove down my throat.
Brian C. Cornell
Chairman and CEO
Target Corporation
50 S. 10th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Dear Mr. Cornell,
As Attorneys General with a strong commitment to protecting the civil rights of
LGBTQIA+ individuals, we write to express our resolute and unequivocal support for the
LGBTQIA+ community as well as our concern regarding recent events in Target stores
involving intimidation and destruction of certain Pride-related merchandise and Target’s
resulting decision to remove some Pride merchandise from its stores.
We commend, of course,
Target’s intention to keep its staff members and customers safe: protecting workers from
harassment, violence, threats of violence, and predation is one of the highest priorities of our
offices, and we deplore any and all malicious destruction of Pride merchandise and any and all
intimidation of Target staff. As we see it, Target has been the victim of potentially criminal acts,
in response to which we encourage you to reach out to responsible authorities. We stand ready
to help address anti-LGBTQIA+ threats and harassment in Target stores.
LGBTQIA+ Americans have faced an increasing number of politically motivated attacks
over the past two years. A number of legislatures around the country have adopted laws barring
public schools from discussing LGBTQIA+ identity, limiting gender-affirming care, prohibiting
transgender individuals from using bathrooms or playing on sports teams aligned with their
gender identity, and restricting drag performances.
At the same time, the LGBTQIA+
community has also increasingly been targeted by harassment and hate, including escalating
1 See, e.g., Cullen Peele, ICYMI: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds Signs “Don’t Say LGBTQ+” and Sex Ed Censorship.
Bills into Law, Human Rights Campaign (May 30, 2023), https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/icymi-iowa-governorkim-reynolds-signs-dont-say-lgbtq-and-sex-ed-censorship-bills-into-law (collecting recently introduced and passed.
legislation affecting the LGBTQIA+ community).
threats of violence and a spike in baseless and pernicious accusations that LGBTQIA+
individuals seek to abuse or convert children.
Against this backdrop, Pride merchandise like Target’s helps LGBTQIA+ people see that
they enjoy considerable support and that loud and intimidating fringe voices and bullies do not
represent the views of society at large. We understand Target recently pulled some Pride
merchandise from its shelves out of concern for worker and customer safety. While we
understand the basis for this action, we are also concerned it sends a message that those who
engage in hateful and disruptive conduct can cause even large corporations to succumb to their
bullying, and that they have the power to determine when LGBTQIA+ consumers will feel
comfortable in Target stores—or anywhere in society.
Though we do not doubt Target’s longstanding commitment to LGBTQIA+ equality, and though we laud your intention to keep your staff members and customers safe, we fear your choice to pull Pride merchandise demonstrates that intentional violence and intimidation can set back the march for social
progress and LGBTQIA+ equality, which as we have noted is already under intense attack
nationwide.
Our states have many resources to support Target’s efforts to protect its staff and
customers in the face of hate-based intimidation, harassment, threats, or attacks. It goes without
saying that any concrete threats of violence should be reported to local law enforcement. Many
states also have other tools at their disposal to combat anti-LGBTQIA+ harassment.
Massachusetts, for instance, assigns liability under its public accommodations law not just to the
owners or operators of those accommodations, but to any individual—including other customers
or members of the public—who discriminates against others’ use and enjoyment of those
accommodations on the basis of a protected characteristic like sexual orientation or gender
identity.
Similarly, the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act empowers the Commonwealth to seek
injunctive relief against anyone who interferes with others’ constitutional and statutory rights by
means of threats, intimidation, or coercion.
The Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA)
currently prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.6
The reach of the MHRA extends to the “full and equal enjoyment” of the goods and services of places of
public accommodations. The MHRA also prohibits any person from intentionally obstructing
or preventing any person from complying with the Act.
Further, it is a crime in Minnesota to destroy property “because of the property owner’s or another’s actual or perceived … sexual orientation” and to commit harassment crimes “because of the victim’s or another’s actual or perceived … sexual orientation.”1
