From Lady Gaga to Beyonce, and from HRC to MoveOn.org, everyone and their grandma have been trying to help Target win back a gay-friendly reputation after the hip Wal-Mart made the unfashionable choice of donating money to an anti-gay politician in Minnesota.
Now Target has launched a line of 10 LGBT t-shirts just in time to cash in on Pride season.
All of the sales of the $12.99 shirts will go directly to the Family Equality Council but donations are capped at $120,000, just $30,000 less than what Target donated toward Republican Tom Emmer’s gubernatorial campaign in 2010.
The shirts, only available online, feature simple designs inspired by Japanese dolls and 70s-style typography. Not surprising considering singer Gwen Stefani helped design two of them (including the one above).
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
What do you think: Are these tees cute enough to lift your embargo? Wait, did you ever boycott Target?
Click through for more from Target’s Pride collection
christopher di crapito
I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, they’re only want to cash in. On the other hand, honest or not, well, at least they’re doing something.
Daez
Since I never boycotted them, I am not about to start now. They donated money to a Republican governor because his policies benefited them. That is how corporate America works. If we boycotted every company that had scrupulous business dealings we would have no where left to shop, eat or browse (online).
Daez
*unscrupulous even!
doug105
You walmart wont be selling anything like it soon.
Crap now I may have to start shopping there.
Mike in Asheville
I applaud the effort, and, am pleased that I can now return to shopping there.
Hopefully, though, they will hire someone gay to design any future T-shirts, cause those are fugly, boring, and border on insulting.
scott ny'er
@Mike in Asheville: Agreed. Those shirts are UGLY. The last one is the best but it says HARMONY and not PRIDE.
but I’m glad they are selling them at least.
NN
Yeah, I want the harmony shirt. It’s neat to see them do this, regardless of the motive.
hudson
doesn’t it beg the question- Why only online? Are they afraid of offending one million moms yet still trying to appease the gay crowd that left? If the shirts are not on the floor, perhaps no one will notice?
just wondering?
Kev C
They remind me of NASCAR shirts, which is a rainbow too.
timncguy
@hudson: @hudson: The wackos have already noticed and started their complaining.
On the other hand, I’m still not shopping at Target because they are still participating in that Christianist rebate program that allows portions of sales to be donated to places like Family Research Council.
Randy
Not a problem at all… Sell gay pride products to fund anti-gay discrimination?
Well
It doesn’t make up for their donations to right-wing politicians and causes, which far exceed this little marketing stunt.
James
I never boycotted Target and Daez already stated why, but I will also not be buying these t-shirts or any other “pride” items.
Tee 1: I may be gay but I’m not a 9yr old girl.
Tee 2: I think the combination of a huge rainbow with an equally huge PRIDE just made my head explode.
Tee 3: People that clip their sunglasses on the front of their tees like that are tacky.
Tee 4: Harmony. That’s great! Is there a melody tee too?!?!
IzzyLuna
I like “Harmony” and the Sunglasses shirts!
1equalityUSA
Less is more, as far as designs go. It’s amazing how equality is catching on. Bigotry sucks. What an embarrassment that the internet has words available for all to see, long after we attain equality under U.S. law. The haters are losing their efforts to stir up hate. oh, well. There are always others to turn a jaundiced eye towards, they’ll figure it out.
Target, thanks for showing support to our community. It’s like save the whales took hold in the seventies, only gays aren’t being harpooned (yet). North Carolina may change this. Nancy “wiggling” Elliott of New Hampshire, Robert P. George of NOM, and Maggie Gallagher may be sporting one of your very colorful shirts this summer! Target the family!
Spike
Target usually sells some pretty cool retro and creative t-shirts . . . all of those look kinda boring. Nice that they are taking the lead, esp given the previous issues with the LGBT community but major fail on the designs.
Darling
I think I’ll just keep shopping at small businesses, thanks.
Jim
I have always boycotted Target. I’m so excited to hear this great news, i saw a great sale there this weekend.
Dave
I’m an old gay guy and learned a long time ago that if we gays can buy friends then do it. Eventually they forgot that they didn’t like us and are happy for the money.
Fidelio
wreaks of pandering. the shirts won’t make sense to anyone but the gay community. and what’s this about a $120K cap? now I REALLY want to boycott them. kohls is the new target. except for the marc anthony thing.
FunMe
Let’s see … we give OUR money to buy that tacky cheap-looking t-shirt. Then Target turns around and says they have given money to a gay cause. I.Don’t.Think.So!
Saying every company gives to republiCON causes, so we should ignore it. Riiiiiiiight. NOT!
You can give to any causes, and that’s fine. But if you are giving to causes that are ANTI-GAY and are giving them money, then you have so self-esteem or self-worth. I ain’t falling for their TRICK
Meanwhile, why don’t they have the t-shirt in their stores as oppose to their web site only. They want to keep us in the “closet”?
They want to have it both ways. You can’t say you have changed and yet still give money and support to policies that hurt the GLBT community.
Barca
@FunMe: It could be that by selling the T-shirts only online Target is able to reach a much broader audience. If Target put up for sale in every market there would likely be so many markets where the shirts don’t sell causing excess inventory. These shirts are for a targeted (no pun) audience, they don’t reach everyone or a majority of people.
cam
@Daez: said…
”
Since I never boycotted them, I am not about to start now. They donated money to a Republican governor because his policies benefited them. That is how corporate America works.”
_______________
No, the money went to a politician with ties to a group that advocated killing gays. Additionally the CEO who made that decision sent his son to one of the “Studies” run by the Family Research Council. I love your moral equivilancy on this. “Well gee, this politician wants to kill all women, but I like how they vote on the importation of Viet-Namese Catfish so I’ll vote for them.” Sorry, doesn’t work.
AND
They said they wouldn’t donate to groups like that again, and just a month later did the EXACT SAME THING.
Until they change their political donation policies nothing is different.
altcowboy
I love Target and always will love Target. I now live in AL and the two big choices are tacky Walmart or Target. Guess which one gets my business. Having said that, I do want to agree with Daez. Every company if you look into them does something underhanded or shady that no matter how progressive or cutting edge they are. I bet any corporation has does something that you would disagree with. And as the MOMS found out boycotting something doesn’t work. Also for the comments of only on line the GAP corporation did a similar hing last year and everyone praised them. Granted the shirts DID have a better design.