In an announcement on Tuesday, Target declared that transgender people would be allowed to use any store restroom of fitting room in which they felt the most comfortable. The company stated that this was true not only for customers but for employees as well. With the current flurry of anti- gay and transgender legislation lying around state legislatures in the country, Target wanted everyone to know that they were committed to “equality and equity.”
Minneapolis based Target seemed to take direct offense to sweeping anti-gay and transgender laws in many states an the North Carolina “bathroom bill” of late. The North Carolina law states that people are what their birth certificate says they are. The company made its stand quite clear and plain in its public statement.
“Inclusivity,” the statement began, “is a core belief at Target. “Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity. Given the specific questions these legislative proposals raised about how we manage our fitting rooms and restrooms, we felt it was important to state our position.”
A few weeks ago, in response to North Carolina, Minnesota governor Mark Dayton ordered all state employees to stop traveling to North Carolina for state related business until he decides to order them otherwise.
Many major corporations, like Apple, PayPal and Google, have spoken out about the controversial North Carolina legislation, Target is the first of these major corporations to actually come out publicly and state their position with regard to restrooms and fitting rooms for transgender people.
For Target, it seemed as if Tuesday’s announcement and statement was less about a new policy implementation and more about a direct shot across the bow of state legislatures as well as other companies who have yet to make a public declaration with regard to it all. Prior to last year’s Christmans shopping season, Target began to implement a change of design in their toy departments. No longer are toys segregated as “girls” toys or “boys” toys. They are all grouped together and labeled simply as toys.
PHOTO SOURCES: CNN, Daily Tech, Inside Retail, Hotshotwhizkids.com