What's the deal with the hashtag #istandwithtarget?

On April 19, 2016, Target made the following statement: "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.

"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.

"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.

"In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.

"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.

"Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you’ll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target."

That made a lot of people really really angry and they are attempting to boycott and petition Target to get them to no longer be accepting of especially the transgender community. The #IStandWithTarget hashtag is people showing their support for Target and encouraging them to continue being so inclusive.

/r/OutOfTheLoop Thread