I confess. I have not signed my name to the Target boycott pledge sponsored by the American Family Association.  It’s not that I don’t agree with what they are trying to do.  In fact, it appears it may be having an effect.  I tend to doubt the value of boycotts generally.  Without sufficient momentum, they don’t really help and may actually hurt our cause.  This one, however, has struck a nerve.  People who might be fine with trans-gendered people being whatever they think they are have a very different view when a law or policy puts them or their children in potential danger.  The issue has now gone beyond what people believe about gender identity.

I’m in complete agreement, so why haven’t I signed?  Partly because I don’t shop there anyway.  Target has been on the wrong side of every moral issue for years.  I have thus been disinclined to go there, though I might have dropped in on occasion for the sake of convenience.  I have always preferred to shop at Wal-mart.  It too has drifted from its roots, but not so far and the prices are better.

The real reason is simply that I feel like a hypocrite doing it from my new Mac.  All this started with the North Carolina law recently passed that requires biological men and women to use their respective restrooms.  Apple and Paypal were among the corporations first to criticize the law.  I had already made the purchase when all this happened if I remember correctly.  I don’t know if it would have changed my mind because there is no viable alternative that allows me to support companies that don’t stand against morality.  Tell me that Microsoft is any better.  I did play around with Linux briefly, but it’s not a practical option for me.  We live in a fallen world.  It is not going to be possible nor would it be advisable to cut off all dealings with anyone we don’t agree with.

That is not to say that we shouldn’t make a stand.  This may be one of those times.  If we send a strong enough message to Target, others will watch and learn.  Therefore my name will go on that pledge.  We must act for the safety of our children, and we should not encourage life choices that ultimately harm those who make them.  This is not hate.  It is love.