With Frightening Incidents in Target Restrooms, American Family Association Intensifies #BoycottTarget Efforts
TUPELO, Miss.—It was just a matter of time.
A 22-year-old New Hampshire man was recently arrested and charged with violation of privacy after he allegedly recorded underage girls in a Target changing room, according to LifeSiteNews. Zachary Bishop later turned himself in after fleeing the store that allows males who identify as females to enter the women’s restrooms and fitting rooms.
Bishop is not the first—and won’t be the last—predator who gained easier access to victims through bathroom policies that put women and children at risk, says the American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net), which has forged ahead vigorously with the #BoycottTarget initiative that has garnered nearly 1.4 million signatures.
Throughout the month of July, AFA is asking all those who have signed the #BoycottTarget pledge to work diligently to get just one other person in their circle of influence to sign it as well.
“These headlines about predators taking advantage of dangerous bathroom policies are to be expected when our society opens doors in order to satisfy a small subset of the population or liberal, activist agendas,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “Now, Americans concerned about the privacy and safety of our wives, mothers, daughters and sisters must fight harder than ever to protect them. Corporations must hear the loud and clear voices of those who will no longer remain silent when it comes to the protection of our loved ones.”
LifeSiteNews further reported the following instances of men taking advantage of transgender restroom policies:
- In February, a Seattle man entered a swimming pool changing room and undressed in front of a young girls’ swim team, claiming he had the right to do so under transgender policies.
- In 2014, it was revealed that a convicted rapist who once sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl claimed to be transgender in order to gain access to a women’s shelter, where he again assaulted women.
AFA also shares similar examples on its www.afa.net/Target page:
- CBS-DFW: Shopper Upset Man Allowed To Use Women’s Dressing Room
- InsideNoVa.com: Police: Peeper dressed like a woman arrested at Potomac Mills
- NY Daily News: Seattle man undresses in women's locker room to test new transgender bathroom rule
- The Mercury News: Sex offender wearing fake breasts, wig arrested for loitering in womens’ restroom
- Fox4News: ‘Peeping Tom’ records underage girl changing at Frisco Target
- Fox25Boston: Police searching for man caught peeping in Revere Target
Since rolling out its new policy, Target’s stock has plummeted, LifeSiteNews further reported. AFA, along with other concerned Americans, awaits Target’s second-quarter report, due in mid-August.
AFA is providing Americans a “pass-along sheet” they can share with family, friends, neighbors and others at summer outings this month. The sheet explains the #BoycottTarget pledge and encourages those concerned to print copies at home and pass them along.
In May, AFA hand-delivered one million petition signatures to Target headquarters in Minneapolis, after which AFA leadership briefly met with Target senior management about the bathroom policy. Target executives reported that the company would not change the policy but would install private-stall family restrooms in stores not already equipped with them. This summer, it is AFA’s goal to deliver another 1 million signatures to Target headquarters.
In addition to the pass-along sheet, AFA is asking those aligned with AFA’s initiative to take action in the #BoycottTarget campaign in several ways:
- Sign the #BoycottTarget pledge online.
- Print the paper petition to distribute among friends, family and fellow church members.
- Call Target and politely let local managers know you are boycotting the store until policies change and how a boycott of this magnitude will hurt business. Find local Target store phone numbers here.
- Share concerns on the Target Facebook page. When sharing on social media, use #BoycottTarget to help spread the word.
For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or on Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.
