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   From: bankruptcy-coming@target.com   
      
   Target confirmed that it won’t be carrying its LGBTQ+ merchandise for   
   Pride month in June in some stores after the discount retailer received   
   backlash last year for its assortment   
      
   NEW YORK (AP) — Target confirmed Friday that it won't carry Pride Month   
   merchandise at all stories this spring after the discount retailer   
   experienced backlash and lower sales over its collection honoring LGBTQ+   
   communities.   
      
   Target, which operates roughly 2,000 stores, said decisions about where   
   to stock Pride-themed products, including adult apparel, home goods,   
   foods and beverages would be based on “guest insights and consumer   
   research.”   
      
   A Target spokesperson declined to disclose the number of stores where   
   the merchandise will not be available, but the company said its online   
   shop would offer a full assortment. The moves were first reported by   
   Bloomberg.   
      
   “Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride   
   Month and year-round," Target said in an emailed statement to The   
   Associated Press. “Most importantly, we want to create a welcoming and   
   supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ team members, which reflects our   
   culture of care for the over 400,000 people who work at Target.”   
      
   In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, Human Rights Campaign   
   president Kelley Robinson said Target's decision was disappointing and   
   risks alienating LGBTQ+ individuals and allies at the risk of not only   
   profits, but also their values.   
      
   “Pride merchandise means something," Robinson said. ”LGBTQ+ people are   
   in every zip code in this country, and we aren’t going anywhere."   
      
   Given that LGBTQ+ people account for 30% of Gen Z, Robinson said that   
   companies need to understand that what is needed is “full-hearted   
   support” for the community.   
      
   But advocacy group GLAAD had a different take.   
      
   In an emailed statement, Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD,   
   noted that a strong majority are “neutral or positively impacted" by   
   knowing a company offers Pride merchandise, citing an Ipsos poll   
   conducted last June on behalf of GLAAD. And they view the Pride   
   merchandise as no different than offering products with a sports team   
   logo or other specialized designs, according to the poll results.   
      
   Last year, Target removed some items from its stores and made other   
   changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride Month after   
   intense reaction from some customers who confronted workers and tipped   
   over displays. Target also moved displays to the back of its stores in   
   certain Southern locations last year.   
      
   But Target faced a second backlash from customers upset by the discount   
   retailer’s reaction to aggressive, anti-LGBTQ+ activism, which has also   
   been sweeping through Republican state legislatures. Civil rights groups   
   scolded the company for caving to customers who expressed outrage over a   
   selection of gender-fluid bathing suits it carried last year. The   
   anti-LGBTQ+ customers also posted threatening videos on social media   
   from inside the stores.   
      
   Target's latest moves are just another example of how companies are   
   struggling to cater to different groups of customers at a time of   
   extreme cultural divides, particularly around transgender rights. Last   
   year, beer brand Bud Light got a negative response from customers   
   angered by its attempt to broaden its customer base by partnering with   
   transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.   
      
   Target, based in Minnesota, and other retailers such as Walmart and H&M,   
   expanded their Pride Month offerings a decade ago or longer. But   
   transgender rights, including to gender-affirming health care and sports   
   participation, have become politicized social issues, prompting   
   lawmakers in some states to try to reverse activists' previous gains.   
      
   Target's move to scale back its presence of Pride merchandise for this   
   year isn't unexpected.   
      
   Last August, CEO Brian Cornell told reporters that Target learned from   
   the backlash and said the company would be more thoughtful about   
   merchandise decisions for heritage months that celebrate the   
   achievements of marginalized groups.   
      
   Target said it would have a slightly more focused assortment and will   
   reconsider the mix of its own and national brands with its external   
   partners.   
      
   “As we navigate an ever-changing operating and social environment, we’re   
   applying what we’ve learned to ensure we’re staying close to our guests   
   and their expectations of Target,” Cornell said.   
      
   Cornell and his DEI staff are the problem and will be the cause of   
   Target's demise.   
      
   https://www.channel3000.com/news/target-to-reduce-number-of-stor   
   s-carrying-pride-themed-merchandise-after-last-years-backlash/ar   
   icle_69f4ccbb-aced-54d0-8451-110d9705e453.html   
      
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