Target is pulling some LGBTQ+ merchandise from stores that were introduced for Pride Month after confrontations with customers.
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we have faced threats affecting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while on the job,” Target said in a statement to USA TODAY. “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.”
Items that have drawn negative attention include “tuck-friendly” women’s swimwear that allows trans women who have not had gender-affirming procedures to hide their male genitalia. The target did not say which items it was removing.
Fox News reported tuesday that some Target stores mostly in the rural South were trying to avoid a “bud light case” by moving some Pride merchandise after conservatives complained, referring to the backlash against parent company Anheuser-Busch over its appearance on transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. in a promotional campaign.
Target has been celebrating Pride Month for a decade now with an array of clothing, books, and furnishings. The goods have been on sale since early May. Pride Month is held in the month of June.
Several videos have falsely claimed that Target sells “fold-fit” swimwear for children or in special kid sizes.
The backlash comes at a divisive moment regarding trans rights.
Hundreds of bills targeting LGBT+ people — especially transgender people — have been introduced by Republican lawmakers in statehouses across the country, aiming to regulate which bathrooms they can use, which medical care they can receive and which sports teams they can play on.
“Our focus now is to carry forward our ongoing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and stand with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year,” Target said in the statement.
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