Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to the chairman of the Target Corporation asking him for “the full text of Target’s safety policies.” The AG wrote, “As chief lawyer and law enforcement officer for the State of Texas, I ask that you provide the full text of Target’s safety policies regarding the protection of women and children from those who would use the cover of Target’s restroom policy for nefarious purposes.”
Attorney General Paxton told Target Chairman Brian C. Cornell that the Texas legislature “may at some point in the future” address the issue of transgender persons using facilities that correspond with their gender identity.
The AG wrote in the letter (attached below) that Target was “currently free to choose such a policy for its Texas stores” but noted that “The voters in Houston recently repealed by a wide margin an ordinance that advanced many of the same goals as Target’s current policy.”
“Regardless of whether Texas legislates on this topic, it is possible that allowing men in women’s restrooms could lead to criminal and otherwise unwanted activity,” he wrote.
Breitbart Texas spoke with Attorney General Paxton who said, “We want to make sure that they have thoroughly thought through this policy decision.” General Paxton said he understands that Target is a business but law enforcement issues and the safety of women and children are at stake.
On April 19, the Target Corporation announced its new “inclusivity” policy that allows individuals to use changing and bathroom facilities that is consistent with their “gender identity.” Target posted that “Recent debate around proposed laws in several states has reignited a national conversation around inclusivity. So earlier this week, we reiterated with our team members where Target stands and how our beliefs are brought to life in how we serve our guests.”
The Corporation posted that “Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. It’s something we celebrate. We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day.” They added, “We believe that everyone—every team member, every guest, and every community—deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally. Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.”
The Target Corporation says “We regularly assess issues and consider many factors such as impact to our business, guests and team members. Given the specific questions these legislative proposals raised about how we manage our fitting rooms and restrooms, we felt it was important to state our position.”
Target’s policy announcement is part of a wider-effort to allow transgender individuals to use facilities that they “gender identify” with.
In Texas, Houston voters resoundingly rejected (61-to-39 percent) an ordinance that would have allowed transgender individuals to use women’s facilities. The first openly gay mayor in Houston, Annise Parker, presented her “bathroom ordinance” two years ago. The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, dubbed “HERO,” would have given transgender people the right to use the women’s restroom and given them other rights and protections. The fight against the ordinance lasted over a year and included a battle through the courts all the way to the Texas Supreme Court. The matter was extensively reported by Breitbart Texas.
Other states have also had a battle with bathroom ordinances designed to provide “gender identity” “inclusivity.” Charlotte, North Carolina had a bathroom ordinance but it was repealed. Similar bathroom ordinances have been rejected by voters in Missouri and Arkansas.
The policy action by the Target Corporation has cost its stockholders almost $2.5 billion as of April 29, as reported by Breitbart News. It took just ten days after the company’s announcement for the stock to suffer a five percent loss.
A pledge to boycott the store organized by the American Family Association has, as of the publication of this article, over 1,175,550 signers.
Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and associate judge. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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