3M Donates $100,000 To Anti-Gay Political Action Committee MN Forward

Following in the footsteps of Target and Best Buy, 3M, another Minnesota-based corporation contributed $100,000 to MN Forward, an anti-gay political action committee campaigning for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, the Minnesota Independent reports. 3M has historically been progressive and supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered rights, the Human Rights Campaign awarded the company a 100-percent rating on their Corporate Equality Index and a perfect rating on their Buying for Equality guide, similar to those earned by both Best Buy and Target. The donation to MN Forward was revealed last Wednesday through campaign finance disclosures, a 3M spokesperson saying “That donation is about advancing public policy that will foster a more competitive business environment,” echoing a similar sentiment spoke by both Best Buy and Target, all of whom claimed to be politically active in an effort to sponsor sound business policy, and not an overt stance of support for a specific candidate and/or social issue. To date, according to the Minnesota Independent, “response from progressive organizations has been muted compared to the reaction against Target’s donation. Some have called for boycotts, and a petition was started on Change.org though it has only garnered around 200 signatures at the time this article was posted. The two organizations at the forefront of the Target boycott – MoveOn.org and the HRC – have remained largely mute of the further corporate donations to MN Forward.