Wal-Mart has formed a partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, a move that Wal-Mart calls “a very sincere effort to reach out to people who are a significant part of our customer base.”
As sincere as the effort may be, Wal-Mart chose not to announce the new partnership, leaving that job to the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. And now that the word is out, there has already been some backlash from conservatives.
Wal-Mart does not offer benefits to domestic partners, though the company is said to be considering making a change in that area. At last count, Wal-Mart gave 85% of its political donations to the Republican Party, which has actively sought to curtail rights for GLBT citizens.
Wal-Mart discriminates against women in a variety of ways and is the defendant in several gender discrimination lawsuits. Wal-Mart also discriminates against working people in a variety of ways, too. Yet women and working people stand in line to shop there, so there is every reason to believe that GLBT citizens will also be sucked into the company’s latest marketing ploy.
