Following intense criticism of an LGBTQ product line made in collaboration with an apparently Satanist designer that was marketed to children, Target pulled some of the controversial items, prompting high-profile leftists to condemn the company.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, outrage broke out after Target launched a line of LGBTQ clothing and accessories that included items specifically made for children. Additionally, one of the designers contracted by the corporation was a self-avowed transgender Satanist who made products apparently calling for violence against those who oppose validating LGBTQ identities, throwing further fuel on the fire.
The backlash and a subsequent boycott led Target to delete the Satanist-designed items from their website and begin moving LGBTQ displays to less prominent locations in certain stores.
The mega-corporation issued a statement on May 24, saying, “For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month.”
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target claimed. “Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”
“Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year,” the statement concluded.
Target whistleblowers additionally told Fox News that an emergency meeting led to the chain deciding to move many LGBTQ products to the back of stores in the U.S. South in an attempt to mitigate the damaging boycott.
“We were given 36 hours, told to take all of our Pride stuff, the entire section, and move it into a section that’s a third [of] the size,” the employee explained. “From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage.”
“I think given the current situation with Bud Light, the company is terrified of a Bud Light situation,” the whistleblower continued.
Houston-based journalist Merissa Hansen confirmed that some stores had indeed begun moving the LGBTQ-themed paraphernalia in a viral tweet, saying, “Target just pulled their pride display from a store after parents pushed back, keep up the heat.”
The left-wing governor of California, Gavin Newsom, attacked Target for its decision, tweeting, “CEO of Target Brian Cornell selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists is a real profile in courage.”
“This isn’t just a couple of stores in the South. There is a systematic attack on the gay community happening across the country,” he claimed. “Wake up America.”
“This doesn’t stop here,” he alleged. “You’re black? You’re Asian? You’re Jewish? You’re a woman? You’re next.”
Newsom’s suggestion was mocked on social media by a diverse group of users.
CJ Pearson, an African American political commentator, replied, “Did the Governor of California just compare my skin color to the mental illness of transgenderism? I wonder if he would ever tell a black person that to their face.”
Similarly, gay activist David Leatherwood said, “Take your white savior complex somewhere else Gavin. LGBT Americans are not victims, and we don’t need you to come to our rescue.”
“The majority of LGBT Americans think it’s pretty creepy that Target hired a satanist to push rainbow cult propaganda onto children,” he added.
Calls for a boycott against Target continue; as political commentator Matt Walsh explained, “The goal is to make ‘pride’ toxic for brands. If they decide to shove this garbage in our face, they should know that they’ll pay a price.”
“It won’t be worth whatever they think they’ll gain,” he continued. “First Bud Light and now Target. Our campaign is making progress. Let’s keep going.”
Meanwhile, others on the left denounced Target’s decision to walk back some of its LGBTQ products.
Erin Reed, a self-identifying transgender woman, said, “So Target is reportedly taking down Pride displays. Really forgetting how the lesbian target demographic is so strong it’s a cliche.”
“Corporations are not your friends,” Reed continued. “Target better not put up a rainbow logo this year if this is true. You don’t cave to fascists.”
Similarly, Southern Poverty Law Center spokesman Michael Hayden suggested on Twitter that Target’s decision to minimize the visual presence of its Pride offerings could lead to fascism.
“The message that anti-LGBTQ+ bigots and fascists will receive from this is that making violent threats work,” Hayden claimed. “They will get worse.”
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