In yet another move to reach out to the LGBT community, Target began selling greeting cards for same-sex couples this June - pride month. The cards - with slogans such as "Mr. & Mr." and "Two very special women, one very special love."- are available in all Target stores nationwide.
The cards were created by Carlton Cards, a division of American Greetings, and can be used for anniversaries and same-sex weddings.
"Target supports inclusivity and diversity in every aspect of our business," said Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder. "We are pleased to be able to bring our guests a broad array of unique and differentiated products they want and need. In our greeting card department, Target offers cards that appeal to a variety of audiences for a range of special occasions including; cards for the LGBT community, cards in Spanish, and cards that recognize ethnic and religious holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Hispanic celebrations."
This is not the first time this year that Target has sold LGBT specific merchandise. They also sold pride t-shirts online during the month of June with 100 percent of the purchase price going to the Family Equality Council. The donation was capped at $120,000.
These moves come after Target's decision to donate money to a PAC - Minnesota Forward - that supported anti-LGBT candidates in Minnesota in 2010.
Also, this November, Minnesota will have a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment on the ballot which would define marriage in the Minnesota Constitution as between one man and one woman in the state. Target - which is headquartered in Minnesota - has remained neutral on this issue although other Minnesota based companies such as General Mills and St. Jude Medical have expressed their opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment.
Target currently scores high on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index coming in at 85 percent out of 100 percent. The company continues to be a major sponsor for the Pride festivities in Minneapolis and has for a number of years.
When reached for comment, Carlton Cards did not respond to queries about Target now carrying its same-sex greeting cards.