Some 200 left-leaning groups have demanded that Target fully restock all its Pride merchandise and release a public statement pledging its allegiance to the LGBT community.
The progressive coalition, which includes groups with a broader mandate like the National Association of Social Workers as well as ones more narrowly focused on LGBT interests like Grand Forks OUT and Proud, made the demands in a joint statement on June 7.
“When it comes to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, there is no such thing as neutrality,” they wrote.
The groups demanded that Target proclaim its “commitment to the LGBTQ+ community” in a public declaration within 24 hours; put Pride merchandise “in full” back on sales floors and online; and provide protection for staff “who are on the front lines” of what has become a highly charged issue.
Starting in mid-May, a number of conservative influencers and media personalities expressed alarm at pro-LGBT items carried by Target, prompting calls for a boycott.
“I cannot state enough how important it is for people to choose not to shop at Target. There has never been a company that has been more pro-transgenderism than Target,” conservative commentator Candace Owens wrote in May.
The pro-LGBT coalition claimed that Target boycotts were “organized by extremist groups” whose goal is to “prevent LGBT inclusion and representation, silence our allies, and make our community visible.”
Conservatives, by contrast, accused the groups of trying to force compliance with LGBT ideology.
‘Big Mistake’
While Target has previously faced boycott calls among conservatives for its pro-LGBT policies, the company lurched into the spotlight recently with the release of a line of “Pride” apparel that included “tuck-friendly” swimwear.Other controversial items carried by Target include a onesie for infants that states “Bien Proud,” a children’s book with the title “’Twas the Night Before Pride” (a book that tells children how to use transgender pronouns), as well as a handful of T-shirts with similar slogans, according to the firm’s website.
A former Target executive said recently that he believes it’s the “tuck swimsuit” meant for transgender people that was the one item that sparked the most intense backlash and triggered widespread boycott calls.
“I’ve never seen a case where one item, that tuck swimsuit, that’s really what made the difference versus the competitors. That’s where the big mistake [was] made,” former Target vice chairman Gerald Storch told Fox News.
Amid the backlash, Target said a week ago that it had removed some items that sparked the greatest controversy, though it did not go into detail about which ones.
“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. “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.”
One of the demands of the pro-LGBT coalition is for Target to restock all the items removed amid the backlash.
‘Destruction of Shareholder Value’
The controversy has also spilled over into markets, with Target’s stock price taking a beating. At the beginning of May, before the company rolled out its Pride collection, Target’s market cap was around $73 billion. As of June 7, the company’s market valuation sits at $60.91 billion.Several days ago, JPMorgan downgraded Target Corporation’s stock from overweight to neutral, with the Wall Street bank citing “too many concerns” with the retail giant.
Venture capitalist and “Shark Tank” television personality Kevin O'Leary said recently that part of Target’s multibillion-dollar stock plunge is about investors sending a “Get woke, go broke” message to corporations that chase progressive agendas.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk said recently that it’s just a matter of time before Target faces lawsuits for “destruction of shareholder value.”
While some have blamed Target’s stock price travails on the company’s pro-LGBT stance, the coalition argued that the company would see business benefits by pledging its allegiance to the LGBT community.
“Doubling down on your values is not only the right thing to do, it’s good for business,” the groups wrote, citing research that shows that Americans are more likely to buy or use a brand that publicly supports and demonstrates a commitment to LGBT rights.
While it’s unclear what research was being cited, a recent study by one of the members of the coalition, GLAAD, claims that some 70 percent of Americans who don’t identify as LGBT believe companies should publicly support the LGBT community.
Target is among major brands—including Bud Light—that have faced backlash for supporting LGBT causes.
Several other companies, including PetSmart, Chick-fil-A, and Walmart, are also facing boycott calls due to their endorsement of the LGBT agenda.
Some experts have said that a major factor encouraging brands to promote LGBT positions is an attempt to score points on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards.
