Wheaton Heroes: Target on His Back

Gregg Steinhafel is our "bashed for being conservative or is he?" hero! Gregg W. Steinhafel is Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Target. He began his career at the company as a merchandise trainee in 1979 and advanced through a variety of merchandising and operational management positions during the subsequent 20 years.

In August 1999, Mr. Steinhafel became President of Target. He was given the additional title of Chief Executive Officer in May 2008 and Chairman in February 2009. In addition, Mr. Steinhafel is a director of The Toro Co. Gregg is compensated a mere $13.3M a year. (note to gifts department... remember to invite him to the next Promise dinner!)

Gregg didn't go to Wheaton but his daughter Kelly '07 did, a fact that is getting him crucified in the press. Gregg and Target made a $150K donation to a fund supporting Tom "raging homophobe" Emmer's campaign for governor.

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"Steinhafel's daughter attended Wheaton College, a Christian school that signs all incoming students to a Biblical "Community Covenant" which condemns homosexual behavior. Wheaton expels any homosexual it identifies. The school's Center for Applied Christian Ethics currently includes resources on homosexuality such as "Science and the Ecclesiastical Homosexuality Debates," which classifies homosexuality as a "crisis," and "Understanding Homosexuality" which argues that "The removal of homosexuality from the DSM does not and cannot conclusively decide the issue of the pathological status of homosexuality." Despite the $40,000-plus tuition per year, the Steinhafels likely did not qualify for financial aid. After Wheaton, the Target CEO's daughter landed a position as a Target Senior Business Analyst for the retailer. She also attended the Focus on the Family Institute. That's the same Focus on the Family that offers “counseling for unwanted same-sex attractions." (The Target CEO declined an opportunity to discuss this.)"

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The gay community is taking a page out of the evangelical playbook and planning National Day of Protest boycott of Target on Saturday, August 14th, 2010. This after an apology to the GLBT community from Gregg:

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In the context of this contribution, some of you have raised questions regarding our commitment to diversity, and more specifically, the GLBT community. Let me be very clear, Target’s support of the GLBT community is unwavering, and inclusiveness remains a core value of our company. Some current examples of that support include:

•      Domestic Partner Benefits
•      Sponsorship of Twin Cities Pride
•      Sponsorship of Out & Equal Workplace Summit

In addition, Target’s rating of 100% on the 2009 and 2010 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index further demonstrates the reputation our company has earned.

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Hey wait a second... last time I checked, Target wasn't THAT conservative. Gregg maybe you can have both sides mad at you at the same time. You can always take a cue from the Episcopal Church and split into two different retailers - TargetPride & TargetPrejudice!

Just walking though the aisles of your store - here's a bunch of stuff you can offend your conservative evangelical shoppers with. Maybe you can create an endcap! Way to alienate everyone equally Gregg!

The Gay Happening - Music CD series