Target’s Policy Leaves the Door Open for Sexual Predators and Voyeurs to Gain Access to Victims

TUPELO, Miss.—The American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) is nearing the one-year mark of its highly successful #BoycottTarget initiative, which has sent the strong message to the retailer that its misguided and potentially dangerous bathroom policy is the reason millions of families are no longer shopping there. 

On its website, AFA points to the many incidents where an open-door bathroom policy has been—however much unwanted—an invitation to those with evil intentions to prey on others. The Family Research Council (FRC) also recently put together a list of 23 documented incidents in restrooms in the U.S. and Canada.

“We can look at incident after incident and wonder why Target isn’t taking any action to reverse its terrible restroom policy that has not only alienated shoppers, decreased foot traffic in stores and caused the stock price to plummet, but has also endangered women and children in restrooms and fitting rooms,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “The number of sex offenders in the U.S. far outweighs the number of transgender Americans. So how many more incidents will it take for Target to wake up?”

Now, AFA is counting on concerned families to help take the #BoycottTarget signatures to 1.5 million. With just over 30,000 pledges needed, Wildmon will hand-deliver another 500,000 signatures to Target headquarters in Minneapolis once the important threshold is reached. Last spring, AFA representatives delivered the first million signatures to Target, but the retailer has not budged on its controversial policy, other than stating it will add single-stall restrooms in stores not already equipped with them.

This resistance on Target’s part is in spite of the fact that stock prices are at their lowest point in five years, hovering at 53.

“As AFA has stated many times, our worries do not stem from fear of the transgender community,” added Wildmon, “but rather, from both the real and potential threat that predators and voyeurs would take advantage of the Target bathroom policy to harm women and children—and there are plenty of incidents to show that they have.”

For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or on Twitter @AmericanFamAssc. Read more about AFA.

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To interview a representative from American Family Association, contact Jen Retallick, 610-584-1096, ext. 100, [email protected] or Deborah Hamilton, 610-584-1096, ext. 102, 215.815.7716.