records pointed to other ways they support gay rights. Other retailers that manufacture pride merchandise in countries with poor L.G.B.T.
“I’m by no means implying that it’s a revolution,” she added. Making pride T-shirts in a place where homosexuality is illegal could be considered a way of making inroads toward more human rights, she said. “We have made products in these countries for a long time,” an H&M representative said, “and this collection is made by suppliers we have worked with for many years.” community is not safe and that there are no laws to protect them. Homosexuality isn’t a crime in Turkey, but gay rights activists there say that the L.G.B.T. In India and Bangladesh, homosexuality is criminalized.
#Targets gay pride shirts free
The tags remind customers that 10 percent of each sale will go to United Nations Free & Equal, a global campaign aimed at promoting equal rights and fair treatment of people of all gender identities and sexualities around the world.Ī statement from an H&M representative said the items in its pride collection were made in China, Turkey, Bangladesh and India. At the retailer’s location in Times Square, paper tags trumpeting a partnership appear on shorts with rainbow ribbons and tote bags that say “Equality.” Among those companies is H&M, which introduced its first pride collection this year. In fact, the company had experienced a temporary stock dive over lower-than-expected projections, and within a year the chain’s stock price rebounded to an all-time high.Other big retailers have also partnered with rights groups. In an example of rumors spread on the topic, in 2017 various websites claimed that Target stock had crashed due to the chain’s inclusive bathroom policy. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” Target has been a focal point for anti-gay cultural war campaigners since 2016, when the retail chain was the first major national corporation to take a prominent stand on that election year’s < controversy over bathroom use and gender identity.Īt the time, the company announced that “In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Target is advertising the $100,000 donation on their website, where it is also selling rainbow-themed gear celebrating Pride month, which is typically commemorated in June: GLSEN does so through research, education, and promoting policies that support inclusivity and safety for LGBT students, according to GLSEN’s website. Together, we can transform our nation’s K-12 schools into the safe and affirming environment all youth deserve.”
On their website, GLSEN notes that their mission is to “ensure that LGBTQ students are able to learn and grow in a school environment free from bullying and harassment. “The phrase ‘gay lifestyle’ is used to denigrate lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals suggesting that their orientation is a choice and therefore can and should be ‘cured.'” “Lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are diverse in the ways they lead their lives,” GLAAD notes. In late May 2019, the Life Site News website published an article headlined, “Target stores donate $100K to LGBT nonprofit that promotes ‘inclusive’ K-12 schools.” The story resulted in spin-off internet postings, which included this widely shared meme:Īlthough the national retailer has indeed donated $100,000 to the charity Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), that charitable organization does not “promote gay lifestyles to school children.” Rather, GLSEN works to eradicate bullying of LGBT students in schools.įurthermore, as the organization Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) points out, there is no such thing as a “gay lifestyle,” any more than there are supposed fixed “lifestyles” for any other demographic groups.