ISSUES: "Sorry About That Donation (Please don't boycott)"!

Responding to the boycott of his company, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel apologized to employees for donating to political group MN Forward, which supports right-wing politician Tom Emmer. The intent “was to support economic growth and job creation,” he wrote, but the “decision affected many of you in a way I did not anticipate”—because of Emmer’s anti-gay-marriage stance—“and for that I am genuinely sorry.”

Steinhafel insisted Target, which has been known to promote LGBT issues, remains “fully committed to fostering an environment that supports and respects the rights and beliefs of all individuals,” and promised to do a review of Target’s “decision-making process for financial contributions in the public policy arena.” Still, the letter “isn’t exactly an about-face,” writes Max Read on Gawker. “It's also a signal, basically, that Target doesn't have any real plans to donate to pro-gay marriage candidates, or renounce their PAC's support of Emmer.”