Silence Gives Bigotry a Free Pass

Making Change at Walmart, the national campaign to change Walmart into a more responsible employer, and UFCW OUTreach, a constituency group dedicated to building mutual support between the UFCW’s International, regions, and locals and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, issued a joint statement regarding reports that a Connecticut woman says she was harassed in a Walmart bathroom by someone who mistook her as transgender.

“Across the country, stores are proudly showing their support for the transgender community by either providing unisex bathrooms or by publicly announcing that transgender people are free to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Yet, Walmart has not followed suit. Their silence is not only callous, it is dangerous.

It allows bigotry, like the incident in Connecticut, to get a free pass. As the world’s largest retailer, Walmart has a responsibility to make sure all customers and employees, no matter their race, sex, religion, sexuality or gender identity, feel welcome and safe in their stores.”