Executives at Target have decided to pull certain LGBTQ-friendly items from their stores nationwide ahead of Pride Month amid backlash from a very vocal subset of the American population.
The giant retailer had been selling LGBTQ-aligned merchandise, including so-called “tuck friendly” swimsuits. Those suits are meant for transgender women who have not had gender-affirming operations and want to subtly conceal their private parts. But those products were unfortunately the subject of considerable anger when anti-gay customers and activists saw them on sale in stores around the country.
Now, Target is reacting by pulling back some of those merchandise options. And in a new statement, the corporate giant is noting that they are first and foremost concerned with their employees’ safety amid the uprising of anger.
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Per the Associated Press, Target released a statement about their decision to pull merchandise late on Tuesday evening. In the official missive, the company stated:
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work.”
And the statement went on:
“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.”
FWIW, Target was not specific regarding which items were being removed. However, the “tuck friendly” items were the ones that had been the focus of nearly all the online backlash that has popped up in recent days.
Other apparently controversial products sold in Target stores are made by a company called Abprallen. Per the AP, that London-based business sells “occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ clothing and accessories.” Their designs have stirred backlash among right-wing activists online, although it is not clear if they were removed from stores, too.
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Target further confirmed it was moving some of its other Pride Month merchandise “from the front of the stores to the back” in some stores in conservative areas in Southern states. That, the company said, was due to “confrontations and backlash from shoppers.”
Here is more on the ongoing situation with Target, and their decision to pull merchandise in a bid to keep employees safe from customer confrontation:
WTF?!
Seriously?? These people can’t go to the store without getting triggered by some clothing?!
Sadly, this is not the first major public backlash we’ve seen recently involving a national brand and LGBTQ-friendly products. Of course, the fallout from the Dylan Mulvaney situation with Bud Light immediately springs to mind. And now, it would seem right-wing anger is in play again.
Absolutely despicable…
To learn more about how you can help the LGBTQ+ community, check out https://www.glaad.org/.
[Image via ABC 7 News/YouTube]
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