The Family Equality Council has released a new platform that addresses the need of “Modern Families,” those being raised by same-sex parents. The new document serves as an alternative to the anti-gay condemnations of the Republican Party platform and fleshes out just how marriage equality and other protections will help children:

We are a nation of blended and multi-generational families, adoptive and foster families, families headed by single parents, divorced parents, unmarried parents, same-sex couples, and more. American families may be diverse, but we all have at least one thing in common—we want our children to be safe, healthy, happy and supported. When our families are rendered invisible, our ability to provide for each other and our children comes under attack. As a nation, we must honor and support the many kinds of families that exist, rather than dismiss the vast majority of households in this country as second-class. We call for the full inclusion of all families, including familiesheaded by  lGBT people and same-sex couples, in the life of our nation. all families are entitled to equalrecognition under the law with responsibilities, benefits and protections.

Here are some of the calls to action offered by the platform:

• Standardize the definition of “family” on forms and documents without assuming there is always a “mother” and a “father.”
• Pass the Every Child Deserves a Family Act to ensure same-sex couples’ right to adopt or serve as foster parents.
• Achieve full federal recognition of same-sex marriage to allow all families to access the same economic benefits and legal securities.
• Pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act and Student Non-Discrimination Act to create safe learning communities for LGBT youth and the children of LGBT parents.
• Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act to ensure LGBT families are not vulnerable to workplace discrimination.
• Expand healthcare provisions to ensure same-sex families have equal access to the care they need.
• Pass the Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act to make sure LGBT people are protected from housing discrimination.
• Pass the Uniting American Families Act, the DREAM Act, and Comprehensive Immigration Reform to ensure same-sex families are never separated by antiquated immigration laws.
• Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act with explicit domestic violence protections for LGBT people.

The Family Equality Council has also released a video about the impact of inequality on children:

It seems that the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins finally got the memo about which LGBT organization Target is supporting with 100 percent of the sales of its LGBT pride month t-shirts. Today, Perkins sent out an “alert” email entitled “Put a bullseye on Target’s funding of left-wing group,” decrying the Family Equality Council for allegedly “shutting down Christian based adoption agencies”:

Minneapolis based mega-retailer, Target Corp. has announced that throughout the month of June (which President Obama has officially declared “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month”) it will be selling “gay pride” t-shirts with 100 percent of the proceeds to benefit the Family Equality Council, a national pro-homosexual organization bent on eliminating faith-based adoption agencies and redefining marriage throughout the nation.

The Family Equality Council’s clear objective is to pass legislation on the local and national level that would effectively shut down Christian based adoption agencies. We have seen this happen in Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.[...]

This not-so-fashionable fundraiser shows that Target has its sights set on social engineering. Please sign our petition letting Target know that you want them to take a position of neutrality on the redefinition of marriage and the right of Christian adoption agencies to operate as they have done throughout history.

Perkins’ email is incredibly troubling for numerous reasons, and FRC knows it. The use of “bullseye” is reminiscent of when Sarah Palin used crosshairs to target certain members of Congress, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), whose staff and supporters were the victims of a deadly shooting last year. Though FRC’s email included “bullseye,” the language was ultimately removed from the online version of the message, but “bullseye” is still evident in the URL (click to see full-size):

Additionally, the entire premise of the email is a lie. What happened in Massachusetts, Illinois, and DC with adoption agencies was voluntary. Religious organizations are completely entitled to discriminate in regards to which couples they allow to adopt. When marriage equality and civil unions become law, the state commits to investing in same-sex families. The agencies that shut down — mostly those run by Catholic Charities — did so completely voluntarily when they refused to stop discriminating when faced with the threat of losing taxpayer subsidies. Faith-based adoption agencies eliminate themselves when they disqualify themselves for public funding.

Perkins’ lambasting of the Family Equality Council as “social engineering” is also disturbing. Just two weeks ago, he accepted an invitation to have dinner with its president Jennifer Chrisler and her family. His only communication about the offer was through CNN, and so far a date has not been set. Given how ill-informed his attacks are, it raises the question of whether he honestly intends to open his heart to Chrisler’s family.

Earlier this week, the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins seemed oddly out of the loop about what LGBT organization Target is supporting with its new Pride t-shirts. The answer, of course, is the Family Equality Council, an organization committed to making sure all families are supported under the law. In an interview on CNN yesterday, Perkins seemed to indicate why he was unfamiliar with the equality organization’s work: he’s never been to the home of a married same-sex couple.

This is a situation the Equality Council seeks to rectify. Today, Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler has sent an official letter (PDF) to Perkins inviting him to join her and her family for dinner:

I would like to extend an open invitation for you and your family to visit my home and have dinner with my spouse and children with the full hope that you will witness the love that exists in our families. While I recognize it may not change your mind, I hope that it might soften your heart.  As Christians, I think we can both agree that ours is not to judge and that we must live by the golden rule. I open my table to you and invite you to get to know me and my family.

Even if nothing comes of the experience, at least you can say you spent time with our families and knew us and still deny us our equality.  But I know you will find that our families have much in common and share the same hopes and dreams for our children.

The invitation parallels Dan Savage’s recent acceptance of the National Organization for Marriage’s Brian Brown’s debate challenge, in which Savage invited Brown to a private dinner in his home followed by a recorded debate.

Same-sex families have become a ubiquitous part of American culture, despite conservatives’ continued attempts to erase them from our laws, schools, and communities. These families are refusing to be invisible anymore, and how anti-gay leaders like Perkins and Brown respond will be quite telling. Will they continue to reject these families, proving that they are motivated entirely by animus? Or will they open themselves to learning about the lives they have committed themselves to demonizing?

Conservative groups that claim to support families are outraged today that Target has begun selling a series of t-shirts supporting National Pride Month, featuring rainbow designs and messages like, “Love is love,” “Pride,” and “Harmony.” Target has pledged that 100 percent of sales (up to $120,000) will go to benefit the Family Equality Council, which advocates for same-sex couples and their families. But Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council conveniently missed the memo about who Target is supporting, despite the fact it’s on the store’s website and in all other news reports about the special offer:

PERKINS: Target’s slogan is “expect more.” And when it comes to their politics, Americans do. Hello, I’m Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. One of America’s biggest companies isn’t just named Target–it’s becoming one. Starting May 20, the mega-chain’s introducing a new line of same-sex “marriage” merchandise that says, “Love is love.” Target promises to donate 100% of the profits to a national homosexual group–but they don’t specify which one. Retail analyst Britt Beemer says that Target’s strategy isn’t “very smart,” especially in conservative states, where it does the biggest business. “Anytime a retailer gets away from doing what they should be doing by being involved in a social cause, [they] lose.” The company said it wanted to “resonate beyond fashion.” But if they’re looking to resonate with Americans, they ought to try defending marriage. According to voters, the country’s still very opposed to redefining it. Let Target know that its agenda isn’t your style. Log on to target.com, scroll down, and click “Contact Us.”

It seems odd that Perkins is the only person who doesn’t know what organization Target is supporting, but perhaps he simply doesn’t wish to explain why the Family Research Council is at odds with the Family Equality Council. It’s also probably not “very smart” to attack a store for making a business decision in which they are not actually trying to make money. Besides, despite whatever Perkins might spin about state ballot initiatives, polling continues to show that a majority of Americans support marriage equality.

The American Family Association is also angry at Target, but at least Tim Wildmon acknowledged that the store “purposely” chose to “offend” him by “donating cash to support the Family Equality Council’s push for legalizing homosexual marriage.” Given that AFA claims there is a “War on Christmas” because department stores do not feature enough Christmas messaging in December, this new campaign of theirs is arguably a “War on Gays.”

Target faced a large backlash in 2010 when it gave $150,000 to support anti-gay Republican Tom Emmer for governor of Minnesota. Last year, court documents revealed that Target executives have previously expressed concern that they might be perceive as supporting same-sex marriage. The Minnesota-based company has remained neutral on a proposed marriage inequality amendment on the ballot in November.