Target Removes Some Pride Items After Backlash

Target originally released its 2023 Pride collection on the first of May; however, after receiving threats that were “impacting (Target’s) team members’ sense of safety and well-being” the company removed several items from its shelves. Most of the items in question were either referring to or made specifically for trans people. Target referenced the recent Dylan Mulvany controversy as part of its reasoning.

“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,” the company says.

Items that are no longer available as part of Target’s Pride collection include a slogan hoodie that said “Fix Transphobia Not Trans People,” and tuck-friendly swimsuits marketed towards trans women and other AMAB gender-nonconforming people. Reuters reported that the company is also removing from stores and its website products created by the LGBTQ brand Abprallen, a brand which offers products featuring spooky, gothic imagery, such as skulls and Satan, in pastels colors.

Far-right political commentators like Matt Walsh were the first to begin criticizing Target’s new collection. In April, Walsh detailed how conservatives needed to “make an example” out of corporations that support LGBTQ rights, and “claim one scalp and move on to the next.” Other viral TikToks expressed outrage that pride merch was available for children and wrongly claimed that the tuck-friendly swimsuits and various binders were available in children’s sizes.

Ethan Schmidt, whose video of him destroying Target Pride displays went viral last year, recently promised to commit petty vandalism yet again, warning, “We’re gonna be exposing Target… We are going to be going on hunting expeditions soon. Hunting LGBTQ+ supporters across Arizona and Phoenix.”

Related Article: Rainbow Capitalism and the Corporate Facade of Queer Liberation

“If corporate advocacy consists merely of rainbows that disappear at the first gust of fascist wind, it amounts to net harm. That support was never truly there,” wrote trans activist Erin Reed.

“The speed in which some companies are caving to anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment shows the danger in entrusting Pride events to the care of corporations, who have no meaningful skin in the game and who are willing to pull support at moment’s notice.”

Like Reed, other activists have pointed out the hypocrisy of corporate pride and rainbow capitalism when these companies often do not have the community’s best interests at heart. Pride, in its foundation, was and continues to be anti-establishment and in many cases anti-capitalist.

Target is pulling their pride displays

Turns out the decade of rainbow capitalism was defeated by the reason we have pride in the first place

Please don’t let corporations trick you into thinking their on our side ever again pic.twitter.com/eugkFcUdh0

— Bbatts (@bbatts523) May 24, 2023