Queercents

Photo courtesy of Facebook's Boycott Target group.

Queercents is not going to get political here. At least, I’m not a fan of being political. I like to stick to the old wisdom that you should never discuss religion or politics unless you want to make quick enemies. But at the same time, the Target boycott is pretty hard to ignore. So rather than stay out of it, here’s your definitive guide to what happened, and the consumer decisions you make.

Matt Baume of the SFist posted an article about Target’s donation of $150,000 to Minnesota Forward, a Republican group that supports Tom Emmer. Tom Emmer is a Republican who is running for governor of Minnesota, so that is a big deal. Tom Emmer is also a supporter of a Christian rock group from his ministry known as You Can Run But You Cannot Hide. The frontman of that group, Bradlee Dean, has made some questionable comments about gays, including supporting the actions of Muslim countries that execute homosexuals.

To don the skeptic’s hat, though, Target is likely not supportive of Dean’s comments. Being a business, Target supports the Republican governor for his lenient business stance compared to that of most Democrats. Let’s be fair to Emmer here too; although he supports Dean’s group, to tie his comments to Emmer is ridiculously unfair. It is as unfair as saying that all Republicans are like Ann Coulter just because they invite her to events. That dimension of the boycott is unfair, as it is merely guilt by association.

Here’s a further complication. According to the HRC, Target received a 100 on its index of gay-friendly businesses. Target is more progressive than virtually any other retailer out there, going so far as to offer even transgender-inclusive healthcare, partner coverage, an employer-supported employee resource group, and provides diversity training. Aside from this donation, Target has been nothing but supportive of the gay community and been quite a booster.

By contrast, Men’s Wearhouse, Office Depot, Radio Shack, Walmart, AutoZone, Meijer, and even Minnesota-based Regis Corp. all score significantly lower, ranging from a middling 68 down to a questionable 20 on the index. The question here is why are we currently boycotting a business that has had a 100 with HRC (although this latest action may bring them to an 85) while Walmart enjoys top position on the Fortune 500 and a dismal score of 40? Target, by the way, is only 31 on the Fortune 500 list. Walmart’s market cap is $190 billion as of this writing, while Target sits at $38 billion.

In summary, this boycott is currently lead due to Target’s funding of a campaign for Minnesota’s next governor, who supports a group whose leader has made questionable comments. Is the boycott fair or effective?

Don’t expect to find answers here. This is just your guide to the boycott. The answers are up to you, readers. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Shopping for gas is an inevitable reality for most of us, especially living outside of urban areas with good public transit. While we’ve all learned the importance of putting our money behind things we support, that’s a bit harder when it comes to gas. Unfortunately, there’s no handy-dandy, gay-approved label at the pump. Most gas stations are major corporations and you can choose to spend your money at a gay-friendly gas station.

The best of the best are BP and Chevron/Texaco. These companies have transgender-inclusive non-discrimination clauses to protect their employees, employee support groups for gay and lesbian staff, and offer domestic partner benefits. The Human Rights Campaign has given both of these corporations a score of 100 as far as gay rights, and Chevron/Texaco has been an inclusive and gay-friendly company since the 1990s. Shell has a score of 85, but does not provide protections for gender identity. If you need to fill your tank, and can do it here, feel good about your choices.

While you can feel good about buying gas at your local Chevron/Texaco or BP station, you shouldn’t feel so good if you’re shopping at an ExxonMobil station. ExxonMobil’s corporate policies do not protect against discrimination due to either sexual identity or gender identity. Fully 85% of Fortune 500 companies have non-discrimination clauses, but ExxonMobil has consistently refused to implement such a policy. Not surprisingly, there’s no protection for gender identity based discrimination, no support system and no corporate domestic partner benefits. The lesson here? Keep on driving.

In many areas, local or regional gas stations, as well as stations not affiliated with an oil company, are also an option. While not an oil company, Quick Trip does offer domestic partner benefits and has a non-discrimination policy. If you’re concerned about local chains, look at discrimination policies, diversity education, and benefits to decide where to spend your gas dollars.

We did mention BP as one of the more gay friendly places to buy gas because some of their corporate policies versus that of Exxon. Both we have found environmentally disastrous companies so when you look at what these companies have done bad to our environment you might want to ban them both. The best choice is to spend less money on gas in general and walk, ride bikes, and commute more with carpooling buddies.

Take a look at gaywheels.com/pride_at_the_pump.htm for more information on your choices at the pump. Other great ways to save money at the pump would be to get that money you spend applied to your rewards credit card. RewardsCards.com offers a list of credit cards such as the Discover Open Road Card which gives you 5% back or the Chase Freedom Card allowing you to cruise any gas station to make purchases with 5% Cash Back. This way you are not locked into a Shell, Exxon, or BP station and can roam around over to a Citgo, Kroger, or even a local mom and pop gas station.

Which Gas stations do you feel are more gay-friendly and have the best gay company policies?