Call for a boycott of 'Hot Topic' stores over religious discrimination

Below is a news release published today by New Witch magazine. First, let me state that I'm not endorsing the magazine. I saw a piece about it at The Barbaric Yawp and was a bit curious to check it out, since the info he had quoted from the magazine in his piece seemed just a bit off from my own experience. (When I first started exploring Paganism, Wicca was the easiest of the Pagan paths to find information on, so that was where I started. As such, I have a fair amount of experience with Wiccan and "witchy" practices and beliefs.) Personally, the magazine is a bit "fluffy bunny" for my tastes, but the issue itself is one that deserves an airing.

An additional caveat: New Witch Magazine isn't an uninterested bystander in this case. The issue arose because New Witch was trying to get Hot Topic stores to carry their magazine, and Hot Topic indicated that they would not be able to because they had made a corporate decision not to carry any merchandise related to "Witches" or "Wicca" due to pressure from the Religious Right. If you decide to participate in the boycott or to write to Hot Topic's management to protest their decision, I would suggest focusing on the general issue of religious discrimination rather than on their specific decision not to stock New Witch. I think that such an approach would be more readily accepted by management as a legitimate market concern, as opposed to a "stunt" by a specific product maker who is trying to get their product stocked.

One last comment: I fully recongize Hot Topic's right to make such decisions about what products they will or won't stock. I'm actually quote surprised that Hot Topic would make such a choice since, as the release below notes, there is a significant overlap between Goth/Alternative Lifestyles demographics (Hot Topic's primary customers) and Pagans.

But while I do believe they have the right to make this choice, in this case, I strongly disagree with their having done so, and, as such, am happy to give publicity to an effort to change their minds, not through the force of law (such as via a lawsuit), but through the force of the market demands (letting them know that customers and potential customers want a certain category of products to be made available). New Witch magazine has not said anything to indicate that any kind of lawsuit is even under contemplation. They have said absolutely nothing, in fact, about using any tactics other than a boycott, publicity and a petition. This I can support wholeheartedly, and if you agree, I ask that you do also.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2003
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Dagonet Dewr Managing Editor, newWitch Magazine
(317) 916-9115
m_editor@newwitch.com

"HOT TOPIC" STORES ADMIT TO RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION IN COMPANY POLICY

In an email sent July 15, 2003, to newWitch Editor-In-Chief Anne Newkirk Niven, California-based apparel and accessory retail chain Hot Topic (http://www.hottopic.com) admitted a company policy of religious discrimination in merchandise selection for their stores.

According to Papergoods Buyer Marissa Mitchell, "[newWitch] sounds great, and potentially would have been a good fit for our stores a few years back when we used to carry Wicca merchandise. Unfortunately, about 4 years ago we ran into some complicated issues and as a company, we had to make some difficult decisions. One of those decisions included not going forward with merchandise that reads the word 'witch' on it." In a phone conversation with Niven, Ms. Mitchell admitted that some of these 'complicated issues' involved pressure from the Religious Right to Hot Topic's management to ban all Wicca and witch-related merchandise from its stores -- despite the fact that there is a considerable demographic overlap between Hot Topic's customer base (goth and other alternative lifestyles) and Paganism. It appears that Hot Topic has chosen to give in to said pressure rather than insisting on equal religious rights for all their customers.

newWitch Magazine would like to encourage the Pagan community -- as well as all other persons who shop at Hot Topic and who believe in religious rights and the importance of tolerance in America today -- to respond in one or all of the following ways:

1) Boycott Hot Topic and its affiliated chain, Torrid (http://www.torrid.com);

2) Write letters to Hot Topic, encouraging them to forgo their discriminatory policy in favor of protecting the rights of all Americans to practice whatever religion they consider appropriate, and to provide Hot Topic with some idea of the number of Pagans and Pagan-sympathetic persons in Hot Topic's potential customer base;

3) Write emails to Hot Topic, with the same goal in mind. Or,

4) Sign our online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/hottopicandreligion . This petition will be sent to Hot Topic's corporate management on October 31, 2003, the Third Annual Out Of The Broom Closet Day.

Do not call Hot Topic! Phone calls, while perhaps more immediately satisfying, are harder to document and more likely to anger the customer service people answering the phones -- who are not the people who made or who enforce this discriminatory practice. Also, please keep your communications with Hot Topic professional, polite, and respectful -- we're not going to get anywhere if we're rude or juvenile.

The boycott will continue until Hot Topic rescinds its company policy of entrenched discrimination against Wiccan, witch-related, and other metaphysical merchandise.

Hot Topic's mailing address is as follows:
Corporate Headquarters
Hot Topic Inc.
18305 San Jose Avenue
City of Industry, CA 91748

Email can be reached off their website, http://www.hottopic.com. For more information, contact Dagonet Dewr, Managing Editor of newWitch Magazine, at m_editor@newwitch.com.