Christian conservative group American
Family Association (AFA) has criticized Target's recent endorsement
of marriage equality.
The Minnesota-based retailer is among
the companies which signed on to an amicus brief in support of
plaintiffs challenging restrictive marriage bans in Wisconsin and
Indiana. About 30 businesses, including Target, last week asked the
Supreme Court to take up a case challenging Utah's ban and rule in
favor of the three plaintiff couples.
“We are forced to implement
inconsistent policies in the various jurisdictions in which we
operate, and the mandated discrimination underlying these policies
violates our stated corporate policies,” the companies, which also
include CBS and Amazon, told the high court. “Our ability to grow
and maintain our businesses by attracting and retaining the best
talent is hindered. The patchwork of state laws applicable to
same-sex marriage impairs thus our business interests and
employer-employee relations.”
In a blog post published Monday, the
AFA urged Christians to boycott Target: “Are you going to give
Target your money, knowing they'll use it to undermine your deeply
held beliefs?”
“This is a company whose leaders make
a mockery of marriage. They make a mockery of God's Word – and
every Christian in this nation should let Target know it is out of
step with the majority of Americans who support natural marriage,”
the group added.
Meanwhile, a boycott against Target
launched last month by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM)
failed to reach its goal of 2,900 signatures.