Marriage Equality 2014: Why Target Chose to Take a Stand to Support Marriage Equality After Backing Anti-Gay Marriage Politician

Although the retail giant Target came under pressure for supporting anti-gay marriage candidates in the past, the retail chain has now made history by joining in with other corporations to support marriage equality.

Target executives signed an amicus brief on Tuesday, essentially declaring the company's support for marriage equality. "Target joins other blue-chip names such as Starbucks, Apple and Intel that have sided publicly with same-sex marriage advocates in court cases or ballot issues," reports the Star-Tribune.

"The retailer found itself heavily criticized by gay rights advocates in 2010 after donating money to MN Forward, a political group that was backing a conservative Minnesota gubernatorial candidate opposed to gay marriage," reported the Los Angeles Times.

"Although Target said the donation was made to support the group's pro-business stance, some shoppers boycotted the chain. The company ended up going on the offensive and promoting its diverse workforce," the website reported.

"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," ­Target's human resource chief, Jodee Kozlak, said in a posting on the company's blog."

The same sex marriage case will be heard in the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 26. It would reportedly combine legal proceedings that will include Wisconsin and Indiana. Officials in those states appealed overturned gay marriage bans.

By supporting this upcoming case, Target gets to work its way back into favor with the LBGT community. "Target, which has long offered benefits to same-sex partners of employees, has worked its way back into the good graces of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," the Star- Tribune reported. 

But its taken the company time to come around. "While hundreds of companies signed on to legal briefs asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal gay marriage ban in a case heard in 2014, Target did not. The company had not publicly backed legal protections of same-sex marriage until Tuesday."