Home Depot continues support of gay marriage, proves 2011 ‘boycott’ didn’t work
It’s interesting to look back five years ago, when Home Depot was praised at a gay pride parade for their support and battled intense protests and boycott threats from conservatives. Now in 2016, Target is under fire for the “bathroom policy” which leaves the door open for anyone to use any bathroom of their choice.
It’s even more humorous to see the outrage at Target in 2011 was over their donations to GOP candidates (see my notation below) and the liberals were in a frenzy.
Maybe the reason Target isn’t budging is because these boycotts never really work. Not enough people stick to their guns and refuse to shop at an entity for a long enough period of time. In this example, Home Depot stock sold for $33.47 on June 10, 2011 and now has risen to over $128 per share.
A Home Depot gay pride float photo/ YouTube screenshot of a 2011 event in San Francisco
Gay pride has not damaged their business one bit.
In fact, there was never really a dip (the stock only fell to around $30 during the summer of 2011). Home Depot is proudly “pro-gay” with floats in gay pride parades all over the country.
A letter written in March of 2015 by Home Depot employee Timothy Noffsinger calls out the stance and that it’s very disruptive: “…it harms the professional image of the North Lakewood Home Depot store where I work.”
Noffsinger points out in his letter that employees have a particularly difficult time every summer when they’re forced to observe and promote LGBT month.
“The Home Depot presentation seeks to redefine morality, and therefore effectively defines religion for THD employees,” Noffsinger asserts.
How did the inside remarks change things at Home Depot?
None.
Target is getting hit a lot harder with the transgender move, so it’ll be interesting to watch the fall out…if there is any.
From 2011:
Just a note that this is a bit different than the usual corporate donations to both political parties, greasing ALL of the wheels of the political machine (see the Target boycott example and my comments)-BBJ
Home Depot Chairman Frank Blake told shareholders earlier this month that his company would continue to support gay marriage activists and activities. Since that time several high profile events supporting gay pride have seen corporate sanctioned Home Depot participants appear in parades and other public activities.
Last weekend, Home Depot sponsored the Southern Maine Pride event in Portland. During the opening ceremony, emcee Khris Francis thanked the company for their support of gay men. On June 11, over one dozen employees wearing Home Depot gear marched in the Boston Pride parade.
The home improvement company has drawn sharp criticism from groups who are opposed to gay marriage. The American Family Association (AFA) has organized a boycott of Home Depot to fight what it calls, “the company’s assault on the sanctity of marriage as only between one man and one woman.”
Earlier this month the AFA delivered 474,161 petition signatures to Home Depot chairman Frank Blake at the company’s annual shareholders meeting in Atlanta.
Home Depot public relations representatives were contacted for an official response to the organizations boycott efforts and responded via email saying, “The Home Depot is committed to respecting and recognizing the diversity of all people and fostering an inclusive environment for all.”
