Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
After Backlash, Threats, Target Pulls Some LGBTQ+ Merchandise From Stores
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
May 24, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Target is removing certain items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month, after an intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers.

“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement Tuesday. ”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.”

Target declined to say which items it was removing but among the ones that garnered the most attention were “tuck friendly” women’s swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts. Designs by Abprallen, a London-based company that designs and sells occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing and accessories, have also created backlash.

The Pride merchandise has been on sale since early May. Pride month is held in June.

Target confirmed that it has moved its Pride merchandise from the front of the stores to the back in some Southern stores after confrontations and backlash from shoppers in those areas.

Target’s Pride month collection has also been the subject of several misleading videos in recent weeks, with social media users falsely claiming the retailer is selling “tuck-friendly” bathing suits designed for kids or in kids’ sizes.

The moves come as beer brand Bud Light is still grappling with a backlash from customers angered by its attempt to broaden its customer base by partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light’s parent company said it will triple its marketing spending in the U.S. this summer as it tries to restore sales it lost after the brand partnered with the transgender influencer.

Target and other retailers including Walmart and H&M have been expanding their LGBTQ+ displays to celebrate Pride month for roughly a decade. This year transgender issues — including gender-affirming health care and participation in sports — have been a divisive topic in state legislatures and the backlash has turned hostile.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

The TikTok Effect: Viral Videos Create the Next Travel Hotspots

DON'T MISS

‘The Studio’ Knows the Real Reason Movies Are Bad

DON'T MISS

US-China Tariff Talks to Continue Sunday, an Official Tells The Associated Press

DON'T MISS

Has America Given Up on Children’s Learning?

DON'T MISS

Could Trump Team Suspend Habeas Corpus to Expedite Deportations?

DON'T MISS

Two Teens Charged in Shooting Death of Caleb Quick

DON'T MISS

India and Pakistan Agree to a Ceasefire After Their Worst Military Escalation in Decades

DON'T MISS

Ukraine and Allies Urge Putin to Commit to a 30-Day Ceasefire or Face New Sanctions

DON'T MISS

Soviet-Era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth After 53 Years Stuck in Orbit

DON'T MISS

Tax the Rich? Slash Spending? Republicans Wrestle With Economic Priorities in the Trump Era

UP NEXT

US-China Tariff Talks to Continue Sunday, an Official Tells The Associated Press

UP NEXT

Has America Given Up on Children’s Learning?

UP NEXT

Could Trump Team Suspend Habeas Corpus to Expedite Deportations?

UP NEXT

India and Pakistan Agree to a Ceasefire After Their Worst Military Escalation in Decades

UP NEXT

Ukraine and Allies Urge Putin to Commit to a 30-Day Ceasefire or Face New Sanctions

UP NEXT

Tax the Rich? Slash Spending? Republicans Wrestle With Economic Priorities in the Trump Era

UP NEXT

Experts Call Kennedy’s Plan to find Autism’s Cause Unrealistic

UP NEXT

Trump’s Trip to Saudi Arabia Raises the Prospect of US Nuclear Cooperation With the Kingdom

UP NEXT

Tariff Talks Begin Between US and Chinese Officials in Geneva

UP NEXT

US Military Ordered to Pull Books on Diversity, Gender Issues

Has America Given Up on Children’s Learning?

18 hours ago

Could Trump Team Suspend Habeas Corpus to Expedite Deportations?

21 hours ago

Two Teens Charged in Shooting Death of Caleb Quick

22 hours ago

India and Pakistan Agree to a Ceasefire After Their Worst Military Escalation in Decades

22 hours ago

Ukraine and Allies Urge Putin to Commit to a 30-Day Ceasefire or Face New Sanctions

23 hours ago

Soviet-Era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth After 53 Years Stuck in Orbit

23 hours ago

Tax the Rich? Slash Spending? Republicans Wrestle With Economic Priorities in the Trump Era

23 hours ago

Israeli Airstrikes Kill 23 in Gaza as Outcry Over Aid Blockade Grows

23 hours ago

Experts Call Kennedy’s Plan to find Autism’s Cause Unrealistic

23 hours ago

Trump’s Trip to Saudi Arabia Raises the Prospect of US Nuclear Cooperation With the Kingdom

23 hours ago

The TikTok Effect: Viral Videos Create the Next Travel Hotspots

A recent study from TripIt and Edelman Data & Intelligence discovered 69% of millennials and Gen Z use social media to find inspiration ...

1 hour ago

1 hour ago

The TikTok Effect: Viral Videos Create the Next Travel Hotspots

1 hour ago

‘The Studio’ Knows the Real Reason Movies Are Bad

16 hours ago

US-China Tariff Talks to Continue Sunday, an Official Tells The Associated Press

18 hours ago

Has America Given Up on Children’s Learning?

21 hours ago

Could Trump Team Suspend Habeas Corpus to Expedite Deportations?

The Clovis Police Department identified two suspects they have arrested in connection with the murder of Caleb Quick, 18, at a Saturday, May 10, 2025, news conference. (GV Wire Composite)
22 hours ago

Two Teens Charged in Shooting Death of Caleb Quick

22 hours ago

India and Pakistan Agree to a Ceasefire After Their Worst Military Escalation in Decades

23 hours ago

Ukraine and Allies Urge Putin to Commit to a 30-Day Ceasefire or Face New Sanctions

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend