The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM), the nation's most vociferous opponent of marriage equality,
has launched a boycott against Target over its recent endorsement of
marriage equality.
The Minnesota-based retailer announced
on Tuesday that it has signed on to an amicus brief in support
of plaintiffs challenging marriage bans in Wisconsin and Indiana.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in
Chicago will hear oral arguments in Baskin v. Bogan (Indiana)
and Wolf v. Walker (Wisconsin) later this month.
“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,” said Jodee
Kozlak, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at
Target.
NOM President Brian Brown condemned the
brief, calling its language “extremely charged.”
“It calls them 'the states' bans [on
same-sex marriage]' and, even more radically, 'marriage
discrimination' laws!” Brown wrote.
“Join me in telling Target today that
they are out of touch with consumers and they have insulted the
millions of Americans who have voted to uphold marriage as the union
of a man and a woman – tell them how much we resent being fashioned
'bigots' and 'haters' for doing so!” Brown added. “Target and
its peers in the corporate world need to realize that the countless
Americans who believe in marriage as the union of a man and a woman
will not stand for being insulted and demeaned. The rash of
corporate meddling in the politics of marriage and family will only
continue if we do not stand up and say enough is enough.”
NOM has previously launched boycotts
against Starbucks, General Mills and, most recently, JP Morgan Chase.
(Related: NOM
launches JP Morgan Chase boycott over gay ally survey.)