How do you know whether an organization is racist, or sexist, or homophobic?
You can use my 6 Degrees test, or you can use an even simpler method:
You can watch where they put their money.
Target has put its money behind the campaign of a homophobe who’s against same-sex marriage.
This single action casts doubt on all the other positive things that Target has done in support of the LGBTQ community and the supporters of the LGBTQ community.
Target is not “homophobic” like Marriott
Last year in the conversation around California’s anti-gay Proposition 8, The Marriott Corporation was accused of being anti-gay.
Like Target, Marriott has had a long history of demonstrated, structural support for employees and guests in the LGBTQ community.
But, while Marriott shareholders donated money to fight gay rights and support discrimination, Marriott as a corporation did not support discrimination against gays and lesbians. Thus, Marriott cannot be fairly called “anti-gay”. Instead, all of Marriott’s other pro-diversity efforts stand un- contradicted, as demonstration of Marriott’s support.
Target’s Action Directly Supports Homophobia
It’s not Target shareholders, or Target employees, who are donating to the campaign of a homophobe. It is the corporation itself.
This distinction between individuals’ money and corporate money is an important one.
The corporation can’t control or be held responsible for what people do with the money they earn from that corporation– these decisions are up to the individuals. Corporations also can’t force employees to donate their money to one cause or another; nor can they punish an employee for where he or she contributes. These are our individual rights as citizens.
However, any time a corporation puts corporate money-– funds that the organization has earned but has not paid out to individual shareholders, funds that belong to the corporation as an entity — towards the support of a candidate, that organization is directly supporting the views of that candidate.
If your organization gives $100,000 of corporate cash to a candidate who stands against equal rights, guess what?
Target, by using corporate money to support the campaign of a candidate who fights equal rights for all, you have just supported homophobia.
It really is that simple.
Really.
What about Target’s other, supportive actions?
Sure, folks are going to say “But what about all Target’s other support of the gay community? Shouldn’t that count?”
Certainly, that track record of real support matters. But, if the executives of Target don’t demonstrate their corporation’s claimed values in each and every action — from health insurance to marriage rights — their claims to hold those values aren’t authentic.
A corporation that truly supported it’s LGBTQ employees and customers? A corporation truly dedicated to diversity and inclusion? That corporation would decline to contribute to a homophobic candidate.
If they could not find a pro-diversity candidate with economic policies they also liked, they would sit it out.
It really is that simple.
Really.
See Also:
The Case Against A Marriott Boycott (part 2): Marriott is not Anti-Gay
What Do Sarah Palin, Bill Marriott and John Templeton, Jr. Have In Common?
Is The Daily Show Sexist? Use the 6 Degrees of Sexism Test to judge for yourself