Topline
Target is the latest company to face an onslaught of criticism for its LGBTQ Pride product line—some of which is due to viral misinformation—leading the retailer to pull some of its products, generating further outrage from LGBTQ supporters who feel it wrongly caved to right-wing backlash.
Target is the latest company facing backlash for LGBTQ outreach. (Photo by Smith … [+] Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Target announced it would remove some items from its Pride Month line after online criticism, threats and violent confrontations from angry customers it says is “impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work.”
Target unveiled this year’s Pride products in early May, including a tuck-friendly swimsuit for transgender women that sparked fierce backlash from right-wing critics.
The swimsuit was featured in several viral videos from outraged conservatives that falsely claim the item is marketed towards children, when Target only offers this swimsuit in adult sizes.
Target also faced right-wing backlash for partnering with British clothing brand Abprallen, whose other designs invoke Satan, including one shirt stating “Satan respects pronouns,” which the designer stated is not inspired by belief in Satan but rather uses him as a “symbol of passion, pride, and liberty.”
The company reportedly removed items designed by Abprallen from its online store, and a search for “Abprallen” now yields zero results.
Target is the latest company to face a boycott from outraged right-wing customers after Bud Light faced backlash and a dip in sales for a brief partnership with transgender social media star Dylan Mulvaney in April.
Chief Critics
In a video targeting numerous brands for their LGBTQ-inclusive marketing strategies, including Starbucks and Adidas, right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro criticized Target based on the now-debunked claim that the tuck-friendly swimsuits were for children. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) claimed Target is “pushing the trans agenda on children” and seemed to support conservatives boycotting the retailer. Graham Allen, host of the conservative Dear America podcast, posted several viral tweets urging his nearly 300,000 followers to boycott Target. In one tweet, captioned: “Target does NOT deserve our business,” Allen tweeted a TikTok video of an angered customer showing how extensive Target’s Pride line is, particularly criticizing the children’s section (his tweet was liked more than 47,000 times).
Contra
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) accused Target of “selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists” for pulling some of its Pride merchandise in a tweet Tuesday night, calling the right-wing backlash a “systematic attack on the gay community.”
Tangent
Target annually generates memes and social media attention among the LGBTQ community for its deliberately campy Pride line, which this year features a “Live Laugh Lesbian” shirt, a bright green mug labeled “gender fluid” and a “cheers queers” glass. This year’s memes have already started, with a popular Instagram account making fun of the “Live Laugh Lesbian” shirt and popular social media user Matt Bernstein reviewing the “ever-iconic” Pride line on his TikTok. The corporation’s Pride products annually generate many more Google searches than competitors, including Walmart and Amazon, NBC News reported.
Further Reading
LGBTQ Culture Wars Increasingly Target Companies—And Nike, Adidas And Ford Are Only The Latest (Forbes)
Molson Coors Slaps Anti-‘Woke’ Critics—Like Joe Rogan And Ben Shapiro—And Defends Miller Lite Women’s History Ad (Forbes)
How Trans TikTok Star Dylan Mulvaney Became A Far-Right Target After Scoring Deals With Bud Light And Nike (Forbes)