Religious conservatives are adamant about how same-sex marriage, in their eyes, is against God — and that businesses should not support it. Some feel that American President Barack Obama’s approval of the practice shows just how far from his Christian beliefs he’s drifted while in the Oval Office.
At the same time, however, what religious conservatives do not understand is that the President, as do corporations, have constituents to watch over, supporters that do support same-sex marriage and want to marry their life partners in a strong, committed relationship. And, as a public official (and corporations as public entities), the President has little choice in the matter. Finally, after four years, Target Corporation has now decided to step up and do the same.
Target, in an impending court case today, signed a legal document supporting same-sex marriage. The company joins Apple Inc., Intel, and Starbucks in its affirmation of same-sex couples. Target Human Resources Vice President Jodee Kozlak wrote on the Target blog that “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.”
Target’s come under fire in the last few years for its affirmation of same-sex marriage bans, particularly in a 2010 Minnesota race in which the retailer contributed thousands of dollars to Republican candidate Tom Emmer – who was outspoken against same-sex marriage.
Now that Target has confirmed its support for same-sex marriage, many are saying that the move is nothing short of trying to “save face” in front of same-sex couples and potential employees who may find Target to be a less than ideal place of work if an employee chooses to live out his or her sexual orientation publicly.
While same-sex marriage advocates will likely cheer the decision, conservatives are against the move and believe that Target, now affirming same-sex couples, will make families uncomfortable. “This is a very risky business decision and ultimately the wrong one because it is families that shop at Target. People in Minnesota are still deeply divided on this issue,” said Minnesota Family Council spokeswoman Autumn Leva.
Target recently hired a new CEO and is trying to recover from its sales declines as well as the data breach last November that left a number of individuals scrambling to protect their credit card accounts. Sources say that a breach allowed hackers to gain access to the store’s financial and credit card information via a Wi-Fi network.
