Susan's Place Transgender Resources

LGBT-friendly companies being held accountable for anti-transgender customers

May 12, 2016 2:26 PM
Mark Price

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article77221272.html

LGBT advocates are taking their campaign over transgender rights up a notch, by pressuring the hundreds of businesses that have declared opposition to House Bill 2 to pledge transgender people will not be hurt or harassed by other customers on their property.

While this is definitely a step in the right direction and good in theory, you cannot predict the future and you cannot predict when you'll run into the wrong person at the wrong time -- there's plenty of crazy people to go around.

I almost wonder if this isn't demanding too much of our corporate allies? Can we really hold them accountable for others' actions? Can we really force them to make people behave a certain way?

On the surface the idea seems good, but digging a little deeper, we're asking an awful lot of our allies, in my opinion.

I agree. As long as our allies deal with a situation when it comes up I'm good. As an example, how many stores have "x items or less" lines then have a policy of not enforcing it so as not to offend customers. That offends me! If they have discrimination non tolerance policies or favorable bathroom policies I want them to enforce them but I won't hold them responsible for incidents as long as they enforce their policies.

This is repeating the same pattern as decades ago. Target was criticized for using black models in ads at one time. Just last year racists tried to bully General Mills for putting an interracial couple in a cheerios ad. (seriously)

I don't think we are asking too much of them or suggesting that we all vote with our dollars appropriately.

On the subject of Target, I wholeheartedly applaud them for not backing down against the transphobic bullies boycotting the store. It says a lot about their values and what they think of their customers.

Bigot-free shopping at long last!