After the American Family Association last week started a boycott petition to encourage consumers to avoid major retailer Target regarding announcing its new company "inclusive" restroom policy for both sexes, nearly 1.2 million people have signed it, at the time this article was published.

For background, read the April 22 Gospel Herald article:  Target Boycotted Over Transgender Restrooms by American Family Association

AFA President Tim Wildmon on Tuesday wrote "There is a false report being circulated on Facebook and media outlets that AFA has 'encouraged men' to go into women's changing areas or bathrooms at Target. This is completely FALSE." 

The petition criticized Target's announcement in April that the retailer's locations will allow people to choose which bathrooms and dressing rooms they want to go into, based on the gender they identify as, rather than their birth sex.

Spokespeople for the chain store giant said the decision was made to demonstrate "our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways," stating: "Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you'll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target."

AFA spokespeople warned that the new policy opens the doors to sexual predators to dress as women and attack children, arguing that the safety of people should not be compromised over political correctness.

Wildmon stated in a USA Today article: "If we are going to allow individuals to define reality according to their feelings, then Target should allow a 20-year-old to get a senior discount if he self-identifies as a 65-year-old. Would Target accept that self-identity? If not, why not, based on their logic?"

Wildmon further suggested gender-specific facilities need to be maintained, but unisex options also need to be made available to the transgendered community.

"As someone has recently noted, a transgendered man, for example, who walks past a unisex restroom to enter the woman's bathroom is not primarily interested in relieving himself. He wants to make a point," he argued.

Right Wing Watch and several other online sites reported about an interview of AFA's director of governmental affairs, Sandy Rios, held with Breitbart News Daily, in which she is alleged to have said that AFA members are doing such "testing" on purpose, but AFA denied the validity of such reports.

The Family Policy Institute of Washington reported that Target's stock fell right after the petition picked up steam, representing a "corporate loss of over $2.5 billion," if constant.

More than 8,600 comments currently are posted on the AFA's Facebook page regarding this topic.