So... Target, after giving tens of thousands of dollars to rabidly anti-gay politicians, released an "It Gets Better" video today.* Three things:

First: We can't stop people from making IGB videos, or uploading them to YouTube. It's an open-source project, and anyone who wants to—any individual, any politician, any club, any corporation—can make an IGB video and upload it to YouTube. No one is obligated to give us a heads up, no one has to ask us in advance for permission.

Second: We can control which videos appear on ItGetsBetter.org and at the It Gets Better Project's original YouTube channel. And we won't be posting Target's video. We are not interested in helping corporations with PR problems in the gay community—expensively purchased PR problems—pinkwash their reputations. Target has some issues that would need to be resolved—not addressed, resolved—before their videos could appear on the IGB websites.

Third: I'm sure there are lots of great LGBT employees at Target. I'm sure there are LGBT folks who work at Target whose stories, insights, and advice would benefit LGBT youth. This is in no way a slam on the LGBT employees at Target, nor is it a slam on the Target employees who appear in Target's corporate IGB video. I would like to personally invite LGBT employees of Target to make IGB videos—as LGBT individuals—and resubmit them.

* Before anyone jumps down my throat about waiting all day to post about this: I've been running around Manhattan all day, away from my computer. I scheduled a few zombie Slog posts earlier today, but I wasn't able to Slog until now. As for the video itself: Feast of Fun says it looks like a hostage video; Queerty says it's not bad.