Victory: Target to "de-gender" some signs in stores

Like me, I’m sure most of you are sick and tired of going into Target and other large retail outlets and being assaulted by the collection of insulting, gender biased signs which clutter the store. Why must they insist on telling me that the high heeled shoes are for women and the wing-tips are for men? And if you want your son to play with Barbie Dolls, whose business is it but your own? Must they ostracize you by marching your little boy into a section of the store which is labeled “girls” in a big sign over your head? It’s maddening.

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But no more! Target is taking steps to eliminate these discriminatory practices and not a moment too soon.

The big box retailer announced Friday that it will start phasing out gender-based signage in some departments. The shift comes in response to customer feedback that distinguishing between products for girls and boys is unnecessary and maybe even harmful.

Parents and gender equality advocates welcomed the news as a significant step with potential to inspire other retailers.

“This change is a step towards removing gender limitations in childhood, but when one of the world’s largest retailers does this, the ripple effect will be significant,” author Melissa Atkins Wardy said in her blog, Pigtail Pals & Ballcap Buddies, which promotes gender-neutral toys, apparel and other products for children.

It’s not as though this is going to cripple the majority of people going to the store. Assuming there’s still a general route mapped out to get you to the toys, electronics and clothing I’m sure most of you can figure out which is the boys/men and girls/women subdivision. But that’s not really the point, is it? Target is choosing to point out to you that they are all onboard with the degenderfication of the nation and making sure they don’t offend anyone. Unfortunately, those two goals may prove to be mutually exclusive. BizPac Review rounded up some of the rapid responses on social media from people who seemed to have had enough of the PC nonsense.

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https://twitter.com/TammySt48668451/status/630002319065788416


https://twitter.com/StalockSteve/status/630041141115666432

Shall we assume that Target will shortly be moving to gender neutral bathrooms as well? If they have a store in West Hollywood they need one already. And if Target won’t fill your ambiguously gendered bathroom needs, fear not, citizens. There’s an app for that.

“There’s been a recent political movement in certain U.S. states to force trans people to use restrooms not aligned with their gender identity, which is alarming when violence that occurs regarding restrooms is typically aimed at trans people, not caused by them,” app creator Harlan Kellaway told The Huffington Post. “The intent behind Refuge is to take the anxiety and potential violence trans people face when using public restrooms away from an activity we all have a right to do in peace. The new mobile app format allows people to access that resource in a way that’s familiar and to potentially encourage the entry of more records while people are on the go.”

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I do more than my fair share of complaining about the internet and how it’s basically ruining the world, but it’s days like this when I’m at least thankful for the opportunity to do my shopping online. Honestly… more and more I simply don’t want to leave the house.

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