title:  WATCH: Target CEO Tells Anti-Transgender Boycotters To Drop Dead (VIDEO)
text: Brian Cornell, the CEO of the Target chain of stores, is not backing down to the demands of the religious right. The chain prompted backlash from the far right after it said it would allow people to use whichever bathroom in its stores that correspond to their gender identity.Conservatives, including national figures like Senator Ted Cruz, insisted that somehow sexual predators would take the store s policy to be a green light for assaults on women and young girls. The idea that this would happen is a complete myth, but has been used to pass anti-transgender laws in states like North Carolina and Mississippi.When Target announced their policy, some figures on the religious right called for the store to be boycotted until they changed their minds, while others have engaged in weird protests, blocking access to Target bathrooms.In an interview with CNBC, Cornell stood his ground. We took a stance, and were going to continue to embrace our belief of diversity and inclusion and just how important that is to our company,  Cornell said.He also pointed out that much of the anti-transgender sentiment on the right is similar to racist claims from the recent past.Cornell said Target is familiar with choosing to stand on the right side of social issues. Decades ago, Target was one of the first major companies to cast black models in its ads, provoking similar backlash, he said. We had a lot of tough feedback,  Cornell said,  But sitting here today, I know we made the right decision. Recent polls have shown that the rabid anti-transgender sentiment is a minority of people. Most Americans are open and welcoming, and believe that the government really shouldn t have a role in policing which restroom people go to (some might call that big government).As a sign of just how out of touch the  religious  right is here, several mega-corporations have pulled their money from states with anti-transgender laws, echoing the boycotts that rose up after some states passed anti-gay  religious freedom  laws. It doesn t pay to be a bigot in America anymore, at least not like it used to.Featured image via YouTube