Target Files Amicus Brief in Support of Same-Sex Marriage

Target Files Amicus Brief in Support of Same-Sex Marriage

By Dr. Susan Berry

9 Aug 2014

http://cdn.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/08/08/Target-Files-Amicus-Brief-In-Support-Of-Same-Sex-Marriage

Minneapolis-based retail chain Target has signed an amicus brief this week with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in support of same-sex marriage.

In a blog post on Target’s A Bullseye View,” Jodee Kozlak, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, said, “It is our belief that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and that includes rights we believe individuals should have related to marriage.”

Kozlak said the brief, which addresses marriage laws in Wisconsin and Indiana, “evaluates the issues created by states that both prohibit same-sex marriage and also refuse to recognize marriages that were conducted legally in other states.”

“At Target, we have long offered comprehensive, competitive benefits to our LGBT team members and their families, often above what is legally required,” Kozlak continued. “We continue to do so today because we believe doing so is right for our team and for our business.”

She said that marriage laws in Wisconsin and Indiana “make it difficult to attract and retain talent,” and they “create confusing and complicated benefits challenges across multiple states.”

Last month, The Washington Post reported that the National Health Interview Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 1.6 percent of respondents self-identified as gay or lesbian, and even less, 0.7 percent, self-identified as bisexual. The outcome of this definitive study strongly suggests that the gay population in the United States is far less than perceived.

The faltering retail chain also announced last week that it has hired PepsiCo Inc. executive Brian Cornell as its new chief executive officer.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, former Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel was ousted in May following a massive data breach during last year’s holiday season and a botched Canadian expansion. In addition to the vast hacker attack that captured--among other information--phone numbers, 40 million credit and debit card numbers, and 70 million addresses, the chain’s shares slipped three percent this year.

Recovery efforts have led to $26 million in expenses during the first quarter, with $8 million of those costs covered by insurance. Target’s debt rating was cut by Standard & Poor’s in March.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

CDC Foundation is a foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Note: Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the CDC Foundation.

Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation, the founder of Bloomberg LP, was a benefactor at the Harlem Children's Zone, a donor for the Robin Hood Foundation, and the New York (NY) mayor.

Bloomberg LP acquired BusinessWeek.

George Soros was a benefactor at the Harlem Children's Zone, the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and is a director emeritus at Refugees International.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Harlem Children's Zone, the Robin Hood Foundation, the International Rescue Committee, Refugees International, the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Clifford S. Asness was a leadership council member for the Robin Hood Foundation, supported same-sex marriage in New York, and is a director at the International Rescue Committee.

Betty E. King was a director at Refugees International, and is a director at the CDC Foundation.

CDC Foundation is a foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Queen Noor is a director at Refugees International, the queen dowager of Jordan, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

James S. Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and his father is Lester Crown.

Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, James S. Crown & A. Steven Crown are his sons, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
A. Steven Crown is Lester Crown’s son, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

William L. Davis is a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Stewart A. Resnick is a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and a benefactor at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Marc B. Nathanson was a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Brian C. Cornell is a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and the chairman & CEO for the Target Corporation.      

Solomon D. Trujillo was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and is a director at the Target Corporation.  

James A. Johnson is a director at the Target Corporation, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a member of the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank) and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).

E.J. Dionne is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a columnist at the Washington Post.

Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a columnist at the Washington Post.

Lee H. Hamilton is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and his nephew is David F. Hamilton.

David F. Hamilton is Lee H. Hamilton’s nephew, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and was a canvasser for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

Sidley Austin LLP was the legal adviser for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) was the plaintiff in ACORN vs. Illinois State Board of Elections.

Barack Obama was the attorney for ACORN vs. Illinois State Board of Elections, and an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

James S. Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and his father is Lester Crown.

Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, James S. Crown & A. Steven Crown are his sons, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
A. Steven Crown is Lester Crown’s son, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

William L. Davis is a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Stewart A. Resnick is a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and a benefactor at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Marc B. Nathanson was a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Brian C. Cornell is a board of visitor’s member at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and the chairman & CEO for the Target Corporation.