Target Pride merchandise removed amid anti-LGBTQ backlash

Pride month is just around the corner, but instead of taking rainbow totes and tees to the next level, Target is removing some LGBTQIA+ items from its shelves.

The change will take place in the chain’s over 1,900 retail stores and online. Target announced the removal of the Pride items after backlash to the line from customers. That backlash was becoming a growing safety concern for workers, with some confrontations even reportedly becoming violent.

Target has sold Pride merchandise for the past decade, and the line has grown each year. This year, items could be seen on sale since early May ahead of June Pride month. However, the threat to employee safety couldn’t be ignored. There had been an uptick in violent incidents, as well as reports of customers removing Pride merchandise from shelves and throwing them onto the floor.

“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.”

The statement continued, “Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.” 

Target didn’t say exactly which items it would be removing, although Reuters reports that items from the London-based company Abprallen were no longer searchable on the retailer’s website.

Some Southern stores have moved their Pride sections from the front to the back after backlash from shoppers. Likely fueling the backlash, in part, is misinformation about the clothing line, which has been circulating on social media. For example, multiple videos have emerged in which users falsely assert that swimsuits labeled as “tuck-friendly” were designed for kids, prompting calls for a boycott of Target.

The controversy in Target stores comes during what has already been a challenging year for companies that show support for the LGBTQ community. Most notably, Anheuser-Busch-owned Bud Light saw sustained backlash after a social media ad campaign featured transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney earlier this year.