Target announced its support for same-sex marriage in a court filing, finally putting an end to years of avoiding the subject, according to CNN.com .
The retail giant signed an amicus ( friend-of-the-court ) brief in a case before a federal appeals court in Chicago, joining other big companies that have taken a stand for marriage equality. The case deals with legal issues in Wisconsin and Indiana, two states where lower courts have struck down gay-marriage bans.
Targetwhich operates nearly 1,800 stores around the United Stateshas been criticized for remaining neutral on same-sex marriage in recent years.
Two years ago, the company refused to take an official stance when a battle over marriage equality raged in its home state of Minnesota. Windy City Times reported in 2011 that now-former CEO Gregg Steinhafel issued a formal apology for his company's contribution to a Minnesota political action committee that Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who espoused various anti-gay positions.
The company received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's 2014 Corporate Equality Index.