Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A Target department store on May 17, 2023 in North Miami Beach, Florida.
Target, which launched its Pride collection in early May, is withdrawing some products from its stores after the company faced backlash from customers and said it was a matter of employee safety, the company told Portal on Tuesday with.
Target Corp (TGT) offers more than 2,000 products as part of its Pride Collection, including apparel, books, music and home furnishings. Items include Gender Fluid mugs, Queer All Year calendars and books for children ages 2-8 called Bye Bye, Binary, Pride 1,2,3 and I ‘m not a girl’.
“Since the launch of this year’s collection, we have seen threats impacting the sense of security and well-being of our team members at work,” Target said in a statement.
“In light of these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been the focus of the greatest confrontational behavior,” the Minneapolis-based retailer said.
Target has been celebrating Pride Month for more than a decade. But this year’s collection has led to an increase in confrontations between customers and employees and incidents of Pride merchandise being thrown on the floor, Target spokeswoman Kayla Castaneda said.
Target’s action follows a conservative backlash against Bud Light after the Anheuser-Busch brewery last month promoted the beer alongside transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney on social media.
The products that Target is withdrawing will be removed from all US stores and the website, Castaneda said.
While various Pride Collection products are under scrutiny, the only ones being removed now are the LGBTQ brand Rebound, which has come under scrutiny for its association with British designer Eric Carnell.
Carnell faced backlash on social media for designing merchandise with images of pentagrams, horned skulls, and other Satanic products.
A search for ricochet articles on Target.com on Tuesday returned “0” results.
Screenshots and posts on social media show that Target previously sold a $25 slogan sweater that read “cure transphobia, not trans people” and a tote bag that read “too queer for here.” sold for $18.
According to Castaneda, Target is also reviewing certain transgender swimsuits and children’s products, but no decision has been made on those products.
For example, a swimsuit sold in the women’s department was scrutinized for the way its fit was described as “pocket-friendly” and highlighted its ability to supposedly tuck in male genitalia.