Target In a Chokehold, but Won’t Tap Out!

Everyone’s all abuzz about the Target flashmob that happened in a West Seattle !

Not gonna lie … it’s pretty friggin’ epic!

That aside, what’s even more epic is Target’s blaring mishandling of the situation. Their Public Affairs staff should be fired, hired, and then re-fired again for dramatic affect.

Honestly.

The organization, which has openly contributed $150,000 to Tom Emmer, an anti-gay Minnesota candidate gubernatorial candidate, recently withdrew from attempted negotiations with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Said negotiations would’ve resulted in several donations to gay-friendly initiatives, however as HRC spokesperson, Fred Sainz puts it, “[...] when we were ready to pull the trigger, literally at the 11th hour on two occasions, they pulled back and said they were not ready to proceed [...] They said no deal. They said it was over.”

Minneapolis-based Target has worked to cultivate a good relationship with the gay community and develop its image as an inclusive employer. The company has been a sponsor of the annual Twin Cities Gay Pride Festival. On Aug. 5, CEO Gregg Steinhafel wrote employees to say he was sorry for the hurt feelings over the donation, which he said was motivated by Emmer’s stance on business issues, not social issues.