St. Paul and Minneapolis Ban Target from Pride Celebration
Organizers of Twin Cities Pride cut ties with Target after the company cowers to right-wing outrage and ends all DEI initiatives.
Target has been banned from a Pride celebration in Minnesota after the retail giant announced a rollback of DEI policies.
On January 24, organizers of Twin Cities Pride, an annual Pride celebration bringing together the LGBTQ communities of St. Paul and Minneapolis (where Target is headquartered), announced that festival organizers severed ties with the company, which has been a longtime sponsor and its second-largest donor.
Twin Cities Pride Executive Director Andi Otto told The Star Tribune that Target’s recent decision to eliminate some diversity, equity, and inclusion programs was the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”
The organization’s decision to sever ties with Target comes on the heels of anti-transgender executive orders by President Trump, a rollback of DEI programs throughout the federal government, and a flurry of corporations caving to pressure from right-wing activists to distance themselves from the LGBTQ community.
While Otto acknowledged that losing Target’s financial support could impact Twin Cities Pride’s offerings at this year’s festival, he said that “what is more important is that we send the message that companies need to do the right thing.”
Otto hopes to find other sponsors to recoup the money that Target typically would have donated.
Target recently announced that it was ending its three-year DEI goals, which were initially touted as a way to ensure greater representation within the company’s ranks.
The retail giant also said it would end a program focused on carrying more products from minority-owned businesses, reports CNN.
Moreover, Target pledged to stop participating in surveys from external third parties, such as the Human Rights Campaign’s “Corporate Equality Index,” which rates companies on how LGBTQ-friendly their corporate policies are with respect to nondiscrimination, health care coverage, and spousal and family benefits.
“As a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape, now and in the future,” Kiera Fernandez, executive vice president and chief community impact and equity officer, told Target employees in a statement.
Target is the latest American corporation to scuttle DEI initiatives in response to threats of boycotts from right-wing MAGA activists. Other major companies that have eliminated DEI policies include McDonald’s, Amazon, Walmart, Stanley Black & Decker, Molson Coors, Ford Motor Company, Lowe’s Hardware, and Harley-Davidson.
Warehouse retail giant Costco remains a notable holdout, as does computer powerhouse Apple.
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