Target Stores to Spend $20 Million Expanding Bathroon Options in Transgender Dispute Amidst Boycott

Target store officials are planning to invest as much as $20 million to expand bathroom options at all of their roughly 1,800 stores here in the U.S.

The move comes after the chain came under a firestorm of criticism and faced the prospect of a growing national boycott over its policy of allowing transgender customers to use the public bathroom of their choice.

Facilities Open to all

Plans now call for all stores to offer the option of a third, single-toilet bathroom that can be locked by users. That facility will be available to all customers seeking privacy, including the parents of small children.

"We put that in motion for some time prior to the [June] shareholders meeting," said spokeswoman Katie Boylan. "At the end of the day, Target is all about inclusion. We want everyone to feel comfortable in our stores."

According to store officials, about one-sixth of its outlets already have single occupancy bathrooms available. The plan calls for all of the company's stores to have such options by early 2017.

Revenues Impacted?

Sales at Target stores were recently down by seven percent compared to the same time a year ago, though company officials insist there was no evidence the slump was directly related to talk of a boycott.

Protesters beg to differ.

"We're confident that our boycott has played a significant role in Target's financial results that came out today," said Walker Wildmon, assistant to the president of the American Family Association, which says it promotes traditional moral values and collected 1.4 million signatures aimed at pressuring the company into changing its stance.

Wildmon argued Target's original stance posed a risk to children and women using women's rooms by allowing others access to the same facilities, a charge vehemently denied by LGBT advocates.

"This doesn't completely answer our concerns," said Wildmon, stressing that advocates would like to see an official change of policy on the issue.

Overall, Target's revenue for the most recent quarter slipped to $16.17 billion, while profit tumbled by nearly 10 percent to $680 million.