Epilogue

Perhaps you remember the Macy’s flap that took place several weeks back. You’ll recall that Macy’s caved in to pressure from the Article 8 Alliance and removed a portion of their Pride window display that Article 8 found offensive.

I wrote this letter to Macy’s, which I sent to the executive offices in New York.

Although Macy’s East Chairman and CEO Ron Klein has since admitted that removing the mannequins was a mistake, the result of “an internal breakdown in communication,” and not the result of pressure put on Macy’s by Article 8, the letter I received from Macy’s executive offices the other day tells a different story:

June 19, 2006

Dear Mr._____,

Thank you for your recent letter to our Executive Office. Your letter has been referred to me for review and response.

I was sorry to learn of your decision to close your Macy’s account and shop elsewhere as a result of your disappointment with the Boston window display. We certainly did not mean to offend you, as shown by your decision to close your account, as that was never our intention. As advertising is integral to the success of our business, it is always a concern when one of our customers is not satisfied with the content of one of our window displays. Macy’s is very proud to have a diverse workforce that mirrors the communities in which their stores and offices are located. Macy’s actually markets to and advertise to their diverse customers, and we understand the important business advantage that diversity in our customer base provides us. Unfortunately, while many people share your views about the content of the window display, many others do not. They too, are our customers. I hope you can appreciate our position on this subject, even though it may differ from your own.

Mr._____, your patronage is important to us, and we appreciate your providing this invaluable feedback. We regret this matter has escalated to this point. If I may be of further assistance, or you would like to reconsider closing your account, please feel free to contact me personally at the telephone number listed below.

Sincerely,

Toni Cole-Lane
Macy’s Executive 0ffice
1-800-264-0069 Extension 2738

“They too are our customers.” Interesting. I called Ms. Lane this morning, as she invited me to do in her letter, to tell her that, while it might seem important in theory to respect the views of all their customers, such a policy is neither practical nor ethical.

For example, if a group of White Supremists began bombarding Macy’s with a steady stream of letters, phone calls, and emails demanding that the store remove its African-American mannequins because they are offensive and because, after all, everyone knows that black people are stupid, lazy, drug-addicted criminals on welfare, would Macy’s respond by removing all of their African-American mannequins?

In this hypothetical example, Macy’s would almost certainly refuse to validate the ludicrous demands of said White Supremists. And yet, in theory, they too are Macy’s customers. Clearly, some demands are too ridiculous, too offensive to be granted any legitimacy whatsoever. When I presented this hypothetical scenario to Ms. Lane, she responded that she wasn’t prepared to address hypotheticals. My point was made, however.

And the point is that racism, at least in theory, is no longer acceptable (though in practice, it is still widespread), while homophobia is still acceptable. Macy’s chose to validate Article 8’s homophobia, and thus they have contributed to the perpetuation of homophobia in both theory and practice as a legitimate ideology. They put their stamp of approval on it.

That this is the position taken by Macy’s—that they would defend their actions by affirming their need to validate the homophobic demands of the Article 8 Alliance because “they too are our customers” confirms that Macy’s is no place for me to be spending my hard earned money.