Target Becomes Latest Retailer to Drop DEI

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On Friday retail giant Target announced it is ending its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals and will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s pro-LGBT “Corporate Equality Index.”

In a memo to its employees, Target wrote,

Throughout 2025, we’ll be accelerating action in key areas and implementing changes with the goal of driving growth and staying in step with the evolving external landscape. We will continue to monitor and adjust as needed. Current actions include:

  • Concluding our three-year diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
  • Concluding our Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives in 2025 as planned.
  • Ensuring our employee resource groups are communities fully focused on development and mentorship. These communities will continue to be open to all.
  • Further evaluating our corporate partnerships to ensure they are directly connected to our roadmap for growth.
  • Stopping all external diversity-focused surveys, including HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.
  • Evolving our “Supplier Diversity” team to “Supplier Engagement” to better reflect our inclusive global procurement process across a broad range of suppliers, including increasing our focus on small businesses.

Target joins a growing list of major corporations that have changed course on DEI and cut ties with groups like the Human Rights Campaign.

Many companies established DEI goals a few years ago to create an equal playing field for racial and ethnic minorities, but it did not take long for LGBT groups to hijack those corporate programs.

Today, DEI tends to promote divisive ideologies like critical theory, and it has become a tool that pro-LGBT groups use to promote gender-identity politics in the workplace. Under these policies, employees who hold a biblical view of gender or marriage may risk losing their jobs.

But backlash and boycotts over DEI and pro-LGBT activism have prompted many companies to change course.

Walmart, Toyota, John Deere, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply, Harley Davidson, and other corporations have chosen to eliminate DEI policies in recent months.

Target’s decision to drop DEI and distance itself from pro-LGBT groups is particularly significant, because the company has a longstanding history of embracing these ideologies.

In 2016 Target made headlines when it announced men would be able to enter women’s restrooms and changing areas at its stores.

On its website, Target sells products that promote the LGBT lifestyle — although it recently scaled back its “Pride” selection.

As far back as 2017, Target executives admitted that these corporate policies were unpopular and costly, but the retailer refused to change course — until now.

It’s deeply troubling when multimillion dollar corporations use their wealth and influence to promote radical, pro-LGBT ideas. But it’s encouraging when companies like Target reverse course. With that in mind, we believe Target is making the right decision.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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President Trump’s Three Noteworthy Executive Actions Explained

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On his first day back in office, President Trump signed 26 executive orders giving direction to federal agencies.

Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom have released a short video explaining three of President Trump’s significant executive orders: His order on gender ideology, his order on de-banking, and his order on government Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies.

You can watch the video below for more information.

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Looking Back at Week 2 of the Arkansas Legislature

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The Arkansas Legislature is wrapping up its second week of the 2025 session. Below is a brief snapshot of legislation that is currently in play at the capitol.

Good Bills Filed

H.B. 1139 (Religious Liberty): This good bill by Rep. Brit McKenzie (R — Rogers) and Sen. Joshua Bryant (R — Rogers) would strengthen Arkansas’ law concerning public school “released time.” The bill clarifies that public schools must excuse students from school, if the students’ parents request it, to receive religious instruction off-campus. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1180 (Pro-Life): This good bill by Rep. Mary Bentley (R — Perryville) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) ensures public schools show students a high-definition ultrasound video that is at least three minutes long as part of sex-education and human growth and development education courses. The bill also ensures students see Live Action’s computer-animated “Meet Baby Olivia” video that teaches about human development from conception to birth. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1202 (Pro-Life): This good bill by the Joint Budget Committee appropriates money for the Department of Finance and Administration for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The budget includes $2 million in grant funding to pregnancy help organizations that promote maternal and infant wellness and provide material support to women with unplanned pregnancies. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1142 (Bioethics): This good bill by Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) and Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) would promote ethical fertility treatments such as restorative reproductive medicine in Arkansas. The bill also protects healthcare providers who have conscientious objections to unethical in vitro fertilization (IVF) and similar procedures. Read The Bill Here.

H.R. 1006 (Marriage): This good resolution by Rep. David Ray (R — Maumelle) recognizes February 7-14 as “National Marriage Week” in Arkansas. The measure notes how marriage is the foundation of strong families and societies and that healthy marriages improve people’s emotional, physical, and financial well-being. Read The Resolution Here.

H.B. 1162 (Good Friday): This good bill by Rep. Matt Duffield (R — Russellville) would establish Good Friday as an official state holiday in Arkansas. Some school districts in Arkansas already close in honor of Good Friday. This bill would ensure Arkansas’ public school students, teachers, and state employees are able to observe and celebrate Good Friday with their churches and their families. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 49 (Used Car Tax): This good bill by Sen. Justin Boyd (R — Fort Smith) and Rep. Lee Johnson (R — Greenwood) would eliminate the sales tax on used cars sold for less than $10,000. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 82 (Used Car Tax): This good bill by Sen. John Payton (R — Wilburn) would eliminate the sales tax on used cars sold for less than $10,000. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1082 (Internet Privacy): This good bill by Rep. Zack Gramlich (R — Fort Smith), Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock), and Rep. Joy Springer (D — Little Rock) generally prevents websites and similar platforms from collecting, using, or sharing personal data of users aged 16 or younger without parental or individual consent. It also addresses targeted advertising based on children’s personal data. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1083 (Internet Privacy): This good bill by Rep. Zack Gramlich (R — Fort Smith), Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock), and Rep. Joy Springer (D — Little Rock) requires platforms to adopt safety measures concerning data collection, harmful content, and advertising. The bill would require platforms to automatically default to the most protective privacy settings for minors, and it would require them to give parents tools to manage privacy settings, monitor usage, and restrict purchases for their children online. Read The Bill Here.

Bad Bills Filed

H.B. 1011 (Abortion): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would repeal virtually all of Arkansas’ pro-life laws, and it would legalize abortion throughout the state. Read The Bill Here.

S.C.R. 2 (DEI): This bad resolution by Sen. Jamie Scott (D — North Little Rock) and Rep. Jay Richardson (D — Fort Smith) calls Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) “essential to creating a society where all individuals are valued, heard, and included,” and says that “efforts to attack DEI are harmful to the bottom line and health of our economy.” DEI policies are closely aligned with critical theory and have been shown to be bad for business and government. Read The Resolution Here.

H.B. 1013 (Bioethics): This bad bill by Rep. Ashley Hudson (D – Little Rock) governs fertility treatments in Arkansas. The bill would let fertility labs in Arkansas create, freeze, store, and kill human embryos as part of unethical in vitro fertilization—or IVF—practices. Human beings are not lab material. This bad bill fails to respect every unborn child’s right to life. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1014 (Bioethics): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would require the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program to pay for unethical IVF practices. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1020 (School Choice): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would repeal the 2023 LEARNS Act’s education freedom account program that lets students use public funds to pay for an education at a private school or at home. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1028 (Libraries): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would repeal Arkansas’ laws that protect children from harmful sexual material. It also would let libraries lend or share obscene material, and it requires public libraries to have “a written policy prohibiting the practice of banning books or other materials because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” in order to receive public funding. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1031 (Sex Education): This bad bill by Rep. Denise Garner (D — Fayetteville) would make it possible for the Arkansas Department of Education to implement Planned Parenthood-style sex education as part of larger changes to public school health curriculum. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1032 (LGBT): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would prevent healthcare professionals from helping people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion. The way the bill is written, H.B. 1032 would let counselors, doctors, and other healthcare professionals encourage people to be LGBT, but healthcare professionals would not be able to help people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or accept their biological sex. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1033 (Red Flag Law): This bad bill by Rep. Tippi McCullough (D — Little Rock) would create a “red flag” law in Arkansas making it easier for authorities to confiscate firearms from citizens that the government deem a danger to themselves or others. Read The Bill Here.

Other Legislation

H.B. 1204 (Tort Reform): This bill by Rep. Jon Eubanks (R — Paris) and Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) restricts damages that can be collected for medical expenses in lawsuits. The bill effectively reduces what a person or company might be forced to pay when they injure another person. H.B. 1204 benefits insurance companies who might not be forced to pay as much in lawsuits. That might increase the insurance companies’ profits, but there is no guarantee it will result in lower premiums for customers. Family Council has concerns about potential, unintended consequences this bill could have on families. We are currently discussing our concerns with lawmakers. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1018 (Family and Medical Leave): This bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would create an income tax credit for employers who provide paid family and medical leave, such as maternity leave, to employees. Family Council has no position on this bill. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1044 (Raffles): This bill by Rep. R. J. Hawk (R — Bryant) and Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R — Little Rock) amends Arkansas’ charitable raffles and bingo laws. The bill would let colleges and universities conduct raffles in-person or online during sporting events. Schools would be able to sell raffle tickets themselves or use a nonprofit charity affiliated with the school to conduct the raffle. The bill contains a provision preventing casinos from operating or administering a raffle on a school’s behalf. Schools could use raffle proceeds to benefit school athletic programs — including purchasing and maintaining athletic facilities or providing financial aid, scholarships, stipends, and other compensation to student-athletes. Family Council has no position on this bill. Read The Bill Here.

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