Gay Activists In Chicago Protest Target
- By
- On Top Magazine Staff
- | August 15, 2010
Gay activists in Chicago have joined in protesting against retail giant Target, gay weekly the Windy City Times reported.
A Saturday demonstration organized by the gay rights group Gay Liberation Network attracted about 50 people to a new Target store located on Broadway.
The company is among those who contributed to MN Forward, an independent political fund supporting Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, an anti-gay Republican.
Emmer has been linked to the Christian rock band You Can Run But You Can't Hide International, whose members strongly oppose gay rights. He also opposes the right of gay men and lesbians to marry.
The Facebook page Boycott Target Until They Cease Funding Anti-Gay Politics continues to attract members at a fast clip, more than 60,000 as of Saturday.
Electronics giant Best Buy Co. and other Minnesota-based businesses – including Red Wing Shoes and Polaris Industries Inc., a manufacturer of snowmobiles – are also being criticized for contributing to MN Forward. However, Target gave the most money and has previously supported the gay community.
“Companies like Target need to understand that they can't have it both ways when it comes to issues of our basic rights, and that the facts will eventually come out,” Illinois State Representative Greg Harris, who is openly gay, told gay website ChicagoPride.com. “I hope that they will rethink this contribution and find a way to make it right.”