The people who hate us are getting violent again because Target stores were selling Pride merchandise. Some stores have moved or removed the products. Is that how we are supposed to go about in life, threatening with guns and violence about anything we dislike? Boycotting is one thing, but this sounds very different and not okay. Why are those people so insane??
It's normal to want to boycott/protest what we don't like, but this is beyond ridiculous. Yes, they have their right to boycott and protest, but we have our right to be who we are and be proud of who we are. This homophobic/transphobic/biphobic attitude is getting out of hand. I wish we could just sit these people down and get them to listen. Unfortunately, I doubt we'll ever fully succeed.
While the violence is to be condemned, I'm not a fan of brands just slapping something together to pander to a group of people. Sorry but rainbow products one month a year don't equal support, its just an attempt to sway you into thinking they care so you will spend money there. And I suppose it makes the haters look like bigger fools because everyone knows it is just pandering.
It seems similar to offering themed products for any other time of year. Are they pandering to a group of people who like St. Patrick's day just to make a buck? Yes, that's what businesses do. No one has to buy this stuff but people like it and they do. The difference with Pride products and displays is that we are a targeted group for discrimination and worse. What are the statistics of hate crimes against leprechauns? All the laws these past few years against us are dangerous and they encourage violence against us all year long. I hope the displays give hope to people who otherwise feel hated where they live. Then the violence and hiding it in the back tells us that's where we belong too and violence works for the haters. Is it real support? I thought it was better than nothing and seeing people with rainbow stuff makes me think they are safe so that's nice they can buy it.
Two conflicting thoughts on it: Those people are absolutely insane, so if they haven't done anything already (not sure, I haven't been keeping up to date), they are a safety hazard for sure. Considering the majority of Target employees are making min wage, I can understand pulling stuff for safety concerns. Are you really an ally if you crumple under the slightest pressure? What's the difference between allyship and using a group for financial gain? I mean at best all these big companies slap a few rainbows on stuff, maybeee donate a tiny fraction of revenue to a LGBT charity *and* get a nice tax write off for it.
This is why I don't like companies putting out rainbow products during pride month. It feels disingenuous for the reasons you've mentioned. I also think it gives the haters more ammunition to not like people in the community. When that's not something the community needs.
That is kinda my point, its St Patrick's day so pretend to be Irish and drink green beer. It's Cinco de Mayo, put on a sombrero, eat tacos and drink beer... We kinda treated Irish immigrants poorly, and take advantage of Latino immigrants. To quote Morgan Freeman "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history." There have been LGBTQ people throughout history. Regulating any group to a month just seems to reinforce the negatives instead of supporting the positives. But humans seem to fixate on putting everything in a box and labeling it. A month is just a box, one month for blacks, one month for gays, one for autism, one for cancer...
Meh, I don't see it that way and of course we're not limited to exist or whatever for a month. People still report that seeing Pride events and such inspires them to come out or at least to know they aren't alone, even though they feel rejected irl. That's important and I think more should display the colors of joy and welcoming all this month. My local Target still had the Pride merch right up front and I was happy to see it. I saw another brand or website with rainbows and I liked it
They might be more progressive than most companies, and probably are, but when the almighty dollar comes into the picture, a big chunk of these efforts seem like eye wash ... and window dressing (it is retail, after all).
