#BoycottTarget
So, Target, a low-cost one-stop-shop chain here in the US, recently stated, publicly, that they have always supported transgender people using the restroom/fitting room appropriate for their gender identity. This was five days ago.
Since then, half a million people have signed a petition announcing they would henceforth boycott Target. They've created their own #BoycottTarget hashtag on Twitter. And I don't even know what else. (And, yes, I really do try to avoid nasty comments at the bottom of trans-supportive news articles, but these tweets have come embedded in the articles and I have not been able to avoid them.)
I realize that boycotting is a perfectly valid form of protest. I've steered clear of businesses with known anti-gay policies, myself, whenever possible. But the stupid, brainless, fear-based reactions people are having just make me want to punch holes in the wall. All I'm doing, anytime my brain isn't overly occupied - driving, painting, cooking, etc - is composing angry op-ed pieces in my head, desperately trying to find the words to convince hundreds of thousands of people to Get. A. GRIP. Transgender people have been using the bathroom alongside you, with no issues whatsoever, for years and years. Oh, you didn't notice? That's because NOTHING BAD HAPPENED.
I just had to erase part of my post because I started to rant with all the arguments I currently have been able to muster, all the facts I've been able to dredge up, but this isn't the place. Just ... I don't know why this particular issue, out of so many cruddy ones going on right now, has incensed me beyond all reason, but it has. I'm so angry on behalf of my kid and the rest of the trans/queer community, and on behalf of a company that is DOING THE RIGHT THING, for once - and I don't know what to do to let it go.
Since then, half a million people have signed a petition announcing they would henceforth boycott Target. They've created their own #BoycottTarget hashtag on Twitter. And I don't even know what else. (And, yes, I really do try to avoid nasty comments at the bottom of trans-supportive news articles, but these tweets have come embedded in the articles and I have not been able to avoid them.)
I realize that boycotting is a perfectly valid form of protest. I've steered clear of businesses with known anti-gay policies, myself, whenever possible. But the stupid, brainless, fear-based reactions people are having just make me want to punch holes in the wall. All I'm doing, anytime my brain isn't overly occupied - driving, painting, cooking, etc - is composing angry op-ed pieces in my head, desperately trying to find the words to convince hundreds of thousands of people to Get. A. GRIP. Transgender people have been using the bathroom alongside you, with no issues whatsoever, for years and years. Oh, you didn't notice? That's because NOTHING BAD HAPPENED.
I just had to erase part of my post because I started to rant with all the arguments I currently have been able to muster, all the facts I've been able to dredge up, but this isn't the place. Just ... I don't know why this particular issue, out of so many cruddy ones going on right now, has incensed me beyond all reason, but it has. I'm so angry on behalf of my kid and the rest of the trans/queer community, and on behalf of a company that is DOING THE RIGHT THING, for once - and I don't know what to do to let it go.