Drawing the Line

I noticed Too Faced cosmetics was trending on Twitter the other day and I was curious why.  I like Too Faced, actually.  In fact, the MN T-Girls did a makeup demonstration at Ulta a few years back and Too Faced sent over a few of their regional trainers to give makeovers, help us shop for products, and to demonstrate different techniques.

I assumed Too Faced was trending because of a new eyeshadow palette or something similar buuuuuut it wasn’t.  Basically the sister of the co-founder of Too Faced made some comments about a makeup artist who recently came out as transgender.  This caused, to say the least, backlash against Too Faced.

Whether or not someone you feel that Too Faced deserves the backlash based on what the co-founder’s family member said (God knows I don’t endorse or agree with everything my family members say), it made me think about the importance of supporting organizations that support our community.  Specifically I am thinking about the way we are viewed not only by the corporation itself, but by the employees who work for them.

Case in point, Target.  Target came out a few years ago saying that their guests should use the restrooms and changing rooms that match their gender identity.  This caused some boycotts which likely affected their business.  I’m sure Target was aware of what this stance would cause, but they did it anyway.  Risking profits by making this their policy says to me that they really do support us.

I shop at Target in both male mode and en femme.  When I am there en femme I have always had a positive experience.  I feel welcome there by the employees and I feel welcomed there by the corporation, based on their policy.

Of course, not every corporation is like Target.  I was disappointed to hear a CEO from Victoria’s Secret make some disparaging comments about our community.  I was even more disappointed by the company’s response to what was said.  I had been shopping at Victoria’s Secret for years as both genders.  In male mode I was mostly ignored (thankfully), but Hannah was always welcomed there.  I made the decision to stop shopping there, but in doing so I discovered so many other options for my lingerie from companies that truly do support our us.

If we want more businesses to support our community, then our community must support the ones that already do.

I don’t frequent businesses that have beliefs or a corporate culture that don’t align with my own morals and values.  It does make it a little different when the experience is positive at a store level (such as shopping at a Victoria’s Secret store) but is very different from a company culture perspective.  I missed shopping there (until I tried other options), but I couldn’t bring myself to spend money where they employed a CEO that didn’t think a transwoman should be allowed to model for them.

Of course, I am not so naive to think that it’s possible to live a life where you never interact or have to deal with people who you disagree with.  I am related to people who prefer to live in a world where the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t exist, after all.  I would like them to change, but I know they likely won’t.  I would like for all organizations to be welcoming and supportive of our community, but it’s not realistic.  However, I believe you can voice your opinion with your purse more than you can with your tweets.

I often wonder where I should draw the line.  I wonder if I am a hypocrite in some ways.  Yes, I won’t eat Chick-fil-A but how well do I know the values of the owner of the coffee shop that I go to?  Should I toss out my Harry Potter books?  Do I need to google every organization that I interact with?

I try to live a highly principled life but I often wonder where I should be drawing the line.

Love, Hannah