Target Issues Gay-Positive Message

A little damage control from Target: "Whether we're gay, straight, or identify any other way...we love whoever it is we love."

(Tipped by JMG reader Donald)

RELATED: Target has lost its lawsuit against the gay group it was trying to stop from collecting marriage equality petitions outside its San Diego stores.

Judge Barton said Target and its powerful law firm of Morrison & Foerster, which has offices globally, failed to show sufficient evidence that the big-box retailer’s business was suffering as a result of the petitioners. “This million-dollar law firm overreached in this case,” Watson said. “They got beat by a lawyer fresh out of law school and a volunteer lawyer.” Canvass For A Cause team members were out today at Target stores in Mission Valley in San Diego and in Encinitas. “We are celebrating our freedom of speech rights today,” Watson said.

Target now has a track record of 121-1 against groups canvassing outside its California stores. They are expected to appeal today's ruling, their first such loss.

CALIFORNIA: Target Sues Gay Group

Saying that they are annoying the customers, Target has filed suit against an LGBT group that has been gathering marriage petitions outside its San Diego locations.

Target says that the gay group’s activists regularly canvass outside eight San Diego stores and refuse to leave when asked. The retailer says it receives around a dozen complaints every day from shoppers angry at the campaigners. But Canvass For A Cause, which asks people to sign gay marriage petitions, claim Target wants to silence it because it is against gay rights. Director Tres Watson told AP: “It’s very David vs Goliath. We understand they’re the Goliath in the room. They’ve got all money in world to get us to stop talking about gay marriage.” He added that volunteers are trained to be polite and professional and that shopping centres have been recognised as public places where freedom of speech is protected.

The court case begins today.

RELATED: Despite an ongoing boycott by some gay consumers and the collapse of an exclusive deal with Lady Gaga over the company's political donations, openly gay GLAAD honoree Ricky Martin performed this week for Target executives.

Lady Gaga Ends Target Deal

Earlier this month it was reported that Lady Gaga had struck a special promotional deal with Target with the stipulation that the company "start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups." Now it appears that deal has fallen through.

Carmen Cacciatore, co-founder of Fly-Life marketing agency, announced this afternoon that the earlier reported deal between Target Corp. and Lady Gaga was dissolved this past week. Bob Witeck of Witeck-Combs Communications was familiar with the dissolved deal, although he does not represent Gaga or any of the parties, and told Metro Weekly, "Despite the expectation that this was all unfolding as a deal, it has been in a sensitive stage of continued discussion for probably the last three weeks." He added, "Quite a few people, even early on, were afraid it was going to dissolve."

Lady Gaga: I Made Target Change Ways

"That discussion was one of the most intense conversations I've ever had in a business meeting. Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past ... our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those [antigay] groups." - Lady Gaga, speaking with Billboard Magazine.