Some Target stores in America’s southern states were forced by their corporate head office to move LGBTQ Pride merchandise from the front of its stores following calls to boycott the store over its promotion of gender fluid and “tuck friendly” clothing for children, Fox News is reporting.
In many parts of the world, June is “Pride Month” a time to celebrate LGBTQ individuals, however, this year, following the massive backlash against Bud Light for employing controversial TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney to hawk its brews, many Americans are revolting.
A Target insider told Fox News that locations, primarily in rural areas in the south, have moved their Pride sections to avoid suffering the same fate as Bud Light.
The store reportedly called an “emergency” meeting on May 19, where managers and district senior directors were told to reduce their Pride sections immediately.
“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 the size. From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage,” the Target insider told Fox News, adding that, “I think given the current situation with Bud Light, the company is terrified of a Bud Light situation.
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The insider, who reportedly has worked with Target for two decades, said the Friday meeting was dominated by conversation on how to keep its employees safe amidst the backlash and ended with direction to tamper down sections dedicated to LGBTQ merchandise.
“The call was super quick, it was 15 minutes. The first 10 minutes was about how to keep your team safe and not having to advocate for Target. The last five was, ‘Move this to the back, take down the mannequins and remove the signage,’ the insider said.
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‘Tuck-friendly’ swimwear for children
At the center of the controversy is so-called “tuck-friendly” swimwear for children that was on display at many Target stores as part of its Pride month celebrations.
Unsurprisingly, conservative commentators and individuals alike blasted the retail giant for its offerings.
“Look how ridiculous this is,” Gays Against Groomers tweeted, while Matt Walsh, told his millions of followers, “What Target is doing is far worse than anything Bud Light did. They are selling chest binders and ‘tuck-friendly’ bathing suits for children… We did it with Bud Light. Now it’s Target’s Turn.”
Evelyn Rae, an account with over 68,000 followers, tweeted a video of a young woman completely flabbergasted by the merchandise.
“Tuck friendly swimwear clothing for toddlers in this seasons Pride fashion at Target. It is worse than ever. No need to shop in a specialist store, it’s that common for little ones you can now just walk into your local store,” she tweeted, adding that, “Jesus wept.”
The popular Twitter account, Gays Against Groomers, added its voice to calls to boycott Target, urging their over 284,000 followers to “take your business elsewhere.”
“This is what you will find in the kid’s section of @Target. We urge you to take your business elsewhere. They are indoctrinating and grooming them with LGBTQ ideology. It is highly inappropriate and disturbing,” they tweeted, adding that, “We hope there are enough parents out there that understand how wrong this is and show them that this garbage will not sell.”
“The only thing these people understand is money. Target deserves the bud Light treatment. We will work to put the pressure on them,” they concluded.
Bud Light sales plummeted 24.6 percent for the week ending May 13, according to Nielsen data and over the past five days, stock in Target Corp is down 6.78 percent.
