Well – let’s just add up some facts here. Target claims that they will not carry the new Frank Ocean CD; they claim that it’s because he started selling his album as an ITunes digital exclusive for the first week until July 17th before he started selling it in bricks and mortar stores. Oh really? It’s just a business decision huh? Let’s look at the timeline of events that matter:
- 2010 – Target donates $150,000 to anti-gay group
- 8/12/11 – Target starts carrying Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne” in stores after being an ITunes exclusive
- 7/4/12 – Frank Ocean “comes out” (source)
- 7/10/12 – Frank Ocean’s manager tweets angrily that Target won’t carry his album because he’s gay
- 7/10/12 – Frank Ocean’s manager deletes said tweets
But as Huffington Post notes HERE:
However, it’s worth noting that Target stores carry Watch the Throne, a Kanye West and Jay-Z album that debuted as an iTunes digital exclusive before being put on shelves. Ocean appears twice on Watch the Throne. He had not discussed his sexuality when that album was released.
But for all of the preaching of tolerance at Target … Target has a history of having donated money to at least one anti-gay group MN Forward. CBS reports that HERE:
Revelations that Target Corp. donated $150,000 to a group that is running ads backing conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who opposes same-sex marriage, continue to generate calls to boycott the company.
Groups such as this one – “Boycott Target Until They Cease Funding Anti-Gay Politics” – have spring up on Facebook, where those upset with the donation are encouraged to contact Target to let them know what they think.
