Target stores found themselves staring down the barrel of a “Bud Light” disaster this week and decided to change course quickly. At least in certain locations.
The giant retailer had rolled out enormous LGBT Pride merchandise displays in prominent parts of stores ahead of June’s Pride Month observances. That changed, however, as irate parents protested much of the wares being marketed for very young children.
Target leaders held “emergency” calls on Friday to strategize on how to deal with upset customers. Afterwards, managers and district senior directors were ordered to immediately trim their displays and move them to less visible positions.
These edicts went mainly to southern and rural stores. Clearly not all Americans are rushing to embrace radical gender ideology.
No one is attacking the gay community Gavin.
They don’t want their children forcefully exposed to the radical side of pride with “tuck it” and “binding” children’s clothes and messaging while simply shopping at Target.
We don’t support your California child genital mutilation… https://t.co/irModjIF6b
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 24, 2023
A Target insider told Fox News the stores were given 36 hours to redo their Pride sections and move them to an area a third of the size of what was originally designated. They are now virtually hidden in the back of certain locations with no mannequins and no prominent signage.
Pride displays at Target are nothing new, but this year’s rollout featured particular products that were not pleasing to customers. For example, there are female bathing suits with “extra crotch coverage” for men who identify as women.
There are also several items for sale targeting the smallest children down to infants.
Then there’s Target’s LGBT partnership with outspoken Satanist designer Eric Carnell. The producer of the Abprallen line markets clothing featuring occult imagery and messaging that includes “Satan respects pronouns.”
The transgender Carnell wrote in an Instagram post that Satan stands for “passion, pride, and liberty” and “loves all LGBT people.”
The Target designer admitted to The Daily Dot that “I don’t believe in Satan. I don’t believe in the Bible…it’s a metaphor.” The Abprallen head does apparently believe in tearing down the mainstream.
Much of the clothing line’s merchandise is attacking critics of radical gender ideology. Its website sells pins with such gems as “heteronormativity is a plague” and “burn down the cis-tem.” Another labels an image of a guillotine as a “homophobe headrest.”
Whatever Carnell’s true beliefs are, his partnership with Target retailers is drawing strong condemnation onto the company. Scarlett Johnson of the grassroots advocacy group Moms for Liberty asked on Twitter why the business would hire a Satanist to design Pride clothing.
It’s a fair question.
