Target’s decision to back marriage equality has prompted local and national religious right groups to slam the Minneapolis-based retailer with boycotts and warnings of God’s judgement. Here’s a sampling:

The National Organization for Marriage launched a boycott

Target and other companies need to be forced to realize that it is their alignment with the radical cause of redefining marriage that is “bad for business”—not states’ marriage laws that uphold and protect the common-sense idea that kids do best with a mom and a dad!
So I’m announcing a new boycott today, against Target, for insulting consumers like you and me. The brief they signed in court this week insinuates that people like you and me, who would vote to uphold traditional marriage, as akin to segregationists and racial bigots.

Initially, NOM seemed timid about the boycott. On Thursday, they’d set a goal of 1,500 signatures to their petition.

But as of Sunday evening, the group had amassed a whopping 2,478 petition signers.

Minnesota Family Council joined the boycott
The Minnesota Family Council, one of the state’s most established anti-LGBT groups, signed on to a boycott launched by NOM. The group wrote in an email on Friday:

Target this week signed a court amicus brief in support of same-sex “marriage.”
Target lost millions after their customers’ secure information was taken from credit and debit cards.
Now, they stand to lose even more in a bad business decision–driving away the millions of families nationwide and at least half of the state here in Minnesota who support traditional marriage. Besides supporting same-sex “marriage” internally, Target has now proactively entered the debate by signing a court brief in favor of same-sex “marriage.”
Ultimately, consumers drive the market and influence business decisions. Looks like we need to find another place to shop.
Curiously, a recent Star Tribune article cataloging the “Top 50 Minnesota Workplaces” showed that not a single company which has “needed” to support same-sex marriage to keep their employees happy made the list. Not Target. Not General Mills. Further, of all the reasons given by employees for liking their companies, “support for marriage equality” wasn’t mentioned once.

Still, Target insists that this is what their employees and customers really want.

Let’s let our dollars reflect our values. Please join us as we take our business away from Target.

Click here to pledge to take your business elsewhere.

Target is ‘laughing in the face of God’

The American Family Association, which has made a career out of boycotting businesses that support LGBT rights. On Friday, the group sent out a statement by Randy Sharp, the group’s director of special projects:
“This is a company whose leaders make a mockery of marriage. They make a mockery of God’s Word – and every Christian in this nation should be offended. This company should just remain neutral, not take a position either way, and stay out of the fray.They have a gay wedding registry on their website, they advertise in gay publications nationwide, they march in gay pride parades. So even though it’s disappointing, it’s not surprising. But I think when you take a public stand and you file a brief with the courts in support of same-sex marriage, you are laughing in the face of God – and that can be very dangerous for those who lead this company. Target has completely abandoned any morality. They’ve completely abandoned any biblical sense of leadership within the company, and this is sad.”

Matt Barber, an anti-LGBT activist who will be visiting Minnesota in September to raise money for “child protection” weighed in on Target’s decision:

“It is just poor business,” Barber told One News Now. “Target, just like other corporations across the country, should at least remain neutral in this ongoing culture war. And at best, they should be endorsing the age old institution of natural marriage, which is the cornerstone to any healthy society.”

“I hope people will go into Target stores across the country and tell them that they are no longer going to buy products there because Target has joined in the attack on the institution of natural marriage,” he says. “They need to let it be known that they will take their business elsewhere and tell why they are doing so. That’s what individuals can do about this.”

American Decency Association based in Michigan had suggestions for conservative Christians:

I know I’ll take my business to Target’s competitors. What about you?
Besides not shopping at Target, here a couple of other suggested actions to take:
– If you have a Target credit card, cut it up and return it to the company, or send copies of past receipts, with a note expressing your displeasure at the company’s choosing to align with the LGBT agenda instead of remaining neutral on this issue.
– If you know of a family member planning a wedding or expecting a baby, urge them not to use Target’s bridal and baby registry.
And, click here to send a message to Target regarding their push to undermine natural marriage.

Janet Porter, a right-wing radio host and anti-LGBT activist also called for a boycott:

“Target takes aim at natural marriage,” Porter said according to Right Wing Watch. “They are using your hard-earned shopping dollars to stand for counterfeit marriage.”

“I called Target to let them know I won’t be shopping there anymore until they reverse their policy on the corruption of marriage, and you can too…. Stand for marriage by boycotting Target.”

Paul Ridgeway, the host of the anti-LGBT radio program, On the Way With Ridgeway on Richfield-based KKMS, said:

“I’m not shopping at target anymore. I’m trying to encourage my wife not to go there, but I’m not going there anymore. I’m tired as a Christian having all these companies who come against us and our values that we believe so strongly in — pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-family, and they think this is a family equal issue. I’m fed up, and I’m just being honest with you, i’m not shopping there.
I don’t care if i have to go without. Us Christians just have to start saying enough is enough… I’m not going to sit and agree with all these big companies and small companies, that think they can go after us and we’ll just sit like lambs to the slaughter and say nothing.”