Why I’m not boycotting Target

Potty talk isn’t generally acceptable in most social circles, but it’s been all the rage with Target’s recent statement of policy. This statement (which is not new) tells us that Target will “welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity”. So naturally, people are losing their ever-loving minds.

Nearly a million people have responded by vowing to boycott Target.

But I’m not one of them.

Let me tell you why.

First off, let’s chat about the big picture of these bathroom laws. Yes, I 100% disagree with Target’s policy. It’s playing a political game and siding with a liberal agenda. I don’t think we should have to think about politics or controversial issues when buying shoes or milk. This is corporate personhood taken WAY too far.

Additionally, we don’t have a grasp of what this new concept of “gender identity” means. The best I can understand it is a type of body or gender dysphoria (unease or dissatisfaction with the way things are) or dysmorphia (obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance). It’s a problem to accept this as normal behavior. This is a very real struggle and we should be seeking ways to help people become the best version of the person they were born as – not run away from that person by becoming someone else.

There’s also the concern of safety. I don’t want men walking through bathrooms when I’m peeing. It’s bad enough when you make awkward eye contact through those gaping cracks in the stalls with another woman. Can I get an amen? This opens doors for creepers to have easier access to victims. However, I’ve seen people argue that we should be watching our kids already. And then there’s the point that criminals don’t really care about laws. So while this argument has merit, I think it’s hard to argue without statistics and facts to back it up. There are lots of stories, though, that we shouldn’t ignore.

Okay, but I’m still not boycotting them. Why?

1. Boycotting is fairly ineffective. Imagine Target executives sitting around and discussing the issue. Do they care about a bunch of (what they think are) haters? Not really. Nope. A bunch of Christians whining isn’t going to make them cry. Unless you’ve got the whole country mad, boycotting just doesn’t work.
2. This is not new. Target has been known to be a flaming liberal company for quite some time. Why do you care about them now?
3. I don’t even shop there often, so boycotting wouldn’t take much of anything away. Maybe I’ll go someplace else if I can, but I barely shop at target to begin with.
4. It reinforces the “ew” factor of Christians against people dealing with gender/LGBT issues. Instead of creating dialogue, it just confirms the liberal view that we just.can’t.even. when it comes to these issues. You know what? Yeah, it’s wrong to say you can change gender. God made us male and female for a reason. But reacting with this much of an ick factor isn’t doing much for our cause. Let’s talk about it and come up with a solution together.

But my biggest reason is that I want to be consistent in what I stand up for and support. If I’m going to boycott Target, guess who else I have to boycott? Pretty much everyone.

Walmart executives should probably pay some jail time for the number of people who’ve been hurt through their manipulation of suppliers to lower safety standards. Do you know that chocolate and cell phone batteries are usually made possible through the work of slave children? How do you feel about that? What about sweatshops in China?

If you dig deep enough, there’s going to be something morally objectionable that almost all companies support.

So when you claim that your conscience is offended by these bathroom laws, I get it. Mine is too. But your conscience should also be taken aback by other issues. It is wildly inconsistent to scream BOYCOTT to the bathrooms but silently enable slave owners. It’s so easy to whine on social media but not let these issues permeate our beings and radically change how we live.

The liberal agenda is dumb. I don’t feel super comfortable peeing in public anymore knowing anything could happen. But we’ve got to pull ourselves together and be logical. Don’t cave to the hysteria of tolerance. Don’t just throw your hands up and not care. There’s too much at stake.

But remember that there are real people involved, and people better darn well know us by our love. Sometimes life calls for tough love. It calls for courage to go against the tide. It calls for so much more than a boycott. It calls for a consistent ethic in who and what we support. So let’s examine who we give our business to and make sure that our money is always where our mouth is.

To Life,

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