Summer is officially here, and that means that nearly every weekend, American families are making quick trips to stores across the country, picking up everything from picnic food and sunscreen to swimsuits and frozen treats.
But more than 1.3 million of those American shoppers won’t be going to Target any time soon. They’re committed to the AFA #BoycottTarget pledge which has garnered more signatures more quickly than any other AFA boycott effort. Yet even with the signatures Target has turned a deaf ear to opposition regarding its dangerous bathroom policy that opens the door to predators and endangers women and girls. Not only does the loss of shoppers not matter but apparently neither does news like what happened in a New Hampshire Target store matter either. Just last week, the Bedford, New Hampshire Police Department arrested a man inside a Target store for recording juvenile girls in a dressing room. Therefore, we must speak louder—and numbers talk. Over the Independence Day holiday and throughout the month of July, we’re asking all those who have signed the #BoycottTarget pledge to work diligently to get just one other person in their circle of influence to sign it as well. We want to give another boost to the boycott against Target's unsafe and family unfriendly bathroom and fitting room policy.
Perhaps another drop in sales during the busy summer shopping season will garner some attention.
AFA is providing Americans with three ways to spread the word about #BoycottTarget—two social media posts that individuals can use on Facebook and Twitter, as well as a “pass-along” sheet they can share with family, friends, neighbors and even fellow picnic guests.
SAMPLE FACEBOOK POST
Let’s stand up for our freedom of privacy and safety in July! Sign the American Family Association #BoycottTarget pledge and keep women and children safe in Target’s restrooms and fitting rooms. www.afa.net/target
SAMPLE TWITTER POST
Stand for freedom of privacy and safety! Sign AFA’s #BoycottTarget pledge. Keep women and children safe in Target’s restrooms. www.afa.net/target
PASS-ALONG SHEET
AFA has designed a special printable sheet that explains the #BoycottTarget pledge and encourages those concerned to print copies at home and pass them along to their family and friends. Download and print the pass-along sheet here.
Earlier this month, our Public Policy Analyst Abraham Hamilton, III attended the Target shareholder meeting, where he discovered that the corporation had no intention of reversing the policy, but instead said the policy was in the best interest of the company long term. Now, Target stock prices continue on their two-month freefall.
On May 12, I hand-delivered one million petition signatures to Target headquarters in Minneapolis, after which AFA leadership briefly met with Target senior management about the bathroom policy. Target executives reported that the company would not change the policy but would install private-stall family restrooms in stores not already equipped with them.
This summer, it is AFA’s goal to deliver another 1 million signatures to Target headquarters.
In addition to the tools provided above,we are asking those aligned with our initiative to take action in the #BoycottTarget campaign in several ways:
- Sign the #BoycottTarget pledge online.
- Print the paper petition to distribute among friends and family members.
- Print the AFA pass-along sheet to distribute among friends and family.
- Call Target and politely let local managers know you are boycotting the store until policies change and how a boycott of this magnitude will hurt business. Find local Target store phone numbers here.
Share concerns on the Target Facebook page. When sharing on social media, use #BoycottTarget to help spread the word.
