(LifeSiteNews) — Target recently decided to pull some pro-LGBT merchandise from its “Pride Collection” from its stores, citing “volatile circumstances.”
“While various Pride Collection products are under review, the only ones now being removed are the LGBTQ brand Abprallen, which has come under scrutiny for its association with British designer Erik Carnell,” Reuters reported on Tuesday. The company is also reviewing some of its swimsuits and “children’s merchandise” that promote transgenderism, including a “tuck friendly” swimsuit, designed for gender-confused males to hide their genitalia.
Target claimed in a statement that employees experienced “threats” after the woke corporation introduced this year’s “Pride Collection,” without specifying what the alleged “threats” were.
“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 said.
Backlash over Satanist designer
One image posted on Instagram and spotlighted by conservative activist Scarlett Johnson on Twitter showed “Erik” Carnell, who describes herself as a “trans gay man,” posing while wearing a “Satan respects pronouns” t-shirt and sporting Baphomet horns on her head, as previously reported by LifeSiteNews.
“Being called a demon is something I can cope with, and the idea of a trans demon is pretty d— cool, most of my work focusses on gothic or dark and satanic imagery juxtaposed with bright colours and LGBT+ positive messages,” she wrote in one Instagram post.
In another Instagram post, Carnell discussed the use of satanic symbols in her designs.
“Satan loves you and respects who you are,” she wrote. “LGBT+ people are so often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God’s will, so fine. We’ll hang with Satan instead,” the designer wrote. “Satan respects pronouns,” Carnell added.
The company has also started to move some of its other “pride” material, according to Fox News.
“Some southern Target stores were forced by the corporation to move LGBTQ Pride merchandise away from the front of their locations after customer ‘outrage’ to avoid a ‘Bud Light situation,’” Fox News reported.
“A Target insider told Fox News Digital that many locations, mostly in rural areas of the South, have relocated Pride sections to avoid the kind of backlash Bud Light has received in recent weeks after using a transgender influencer in a promotional campaign,” Fox News reported.
The “Bud Light situation” refers to massive backlash against Anheuser-Busch for partnering with Dylan Mulvaney, a man who dresses up and calls himself a woman. The company has experienced a massive drop in sales and reportedly has offered to buy back unsold beer from wholesalers due to the public relations catastrophe.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized Target for making minor adjustments to its inventory to remove some offensive items.
“CEO of Target Brian Cornell selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists is a real profile in courage,” Newsom tweeted sarcastically. “This isn’t just a couple stores in the South. There is a systematic attack on the gay community happening across the country.”
Most of the 2,000 other LGBT items still remain in the stores.
Matt Lamb
Matt has previously worked at Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action and Turning Point USA. While in college, he wrote for The College Fix as well as his college newspaper, The Loyola Phoenix. He holds a B.A. from Loyola University-Chicago and an M.A. from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He lives in northwest Indiana with his family.
