{"id":14764,"date":"2023-05-27T21:34:32","date_gmt":"2023-05-28T01:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/investing\/target-doesnt-have-a-spine-workers-slam-retailers-decision-to-pull-lgbtq-pride-themed-products-amid-backlash\/"},"modified":"2023-05-27T21:34:33","modified_gmt":"2023-05-28T01:34:33","slug":"target-doesnt-have-a-spine-workers-slam-retailers-decision-to-pull-lgbtq-pride-themed-products-amid-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=14764","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Target doesn\u2019t have a spine\u2019: Workers slam retailer\u2019s decision to pull LGBTQ Pride-themed products amid backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Amid Target\u2019s decision to pull Pride-themed products from some stores after intense anti-LGBTQ backlash, many of its employees believe the company has caved to a bad-faith campaign in order to salvage sales, according to the worker-advocacy group Target Workers Unite.<\/p>\n

Target
\n TGT,
\n -1.29%<\/bg-quote>
\n has been offering a range of Pride-related products in the run up to June\u2019s Pride Month. However, the chain has\u00a0removed\u00a0some LGBTQ-themed products and hidden Pride Month displays in certain Southern locations following online complaints and in-store confrontations that the company says\u00a0placed employees at risk, the Associated Press reports.<\/p>\n

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But that response has sparked criticism from within Target. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of workers think that Target doesn\u2019t have a spine,\u201d said Adam Ryan, who works at a Target in Christiansburg, Va., and is an organizer for Target Workers Unite, which describes itself as an independent initiative run by rank-and-file employees of the retail giant. \u201cThey are conceding to the hysteria \u2014 this supposed concern about the safety of employees is patronizing and disingenuous,\u201d he told MarketWatch.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong> Trans designer speaks out after Target pulls products: \u2018I\u2019ve had a lot of death threats\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really that they don\u2019t want to suffer any loss in sales,\u201d Ryan added. There were more bad customer interactions when Target employees enforced COVID-era mask-wearing policies and showed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, according to the organizer. \u201cWhen workers tried to show solidarity with the George Floyd protests, they had customers yelling at them because they were wearing BLM masks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Target did not immediately respond to a MarketWatch request for comment.<\/p>\n

The hostile response to Target\u2019s Pride collection reflects a current climate of transphobia, Ryan told MarketWatch. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the culture war,\u201d he said. It comes hot on the heels of a backlash against Anheuser Busch InBev-owned
\n BUD,
\n +0.49%<\/bg-quote>
\n Bud Light as a result of its partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong>\u00a0Target on the defensive after removing LGBTQ-themed products<\/p>\n

The Target controversy was exacerbated by false claims the retailer was selling \u201ctuck-friendly\u201d swimsuits for kids, according to the AP. Target has been selling adult \u201ctuck-friendly\u201d bathing suits for trans women who have not received gender-affirming medical care.<\/p>\n

U.K.-based designer Erik Carnell was also caught up in the Target furor after the retailer began selling three products from his brand Abprallen. The products are no longer available on Target\u2019s website, and the designer has been targeted amid the right-wing\u00a0backlash\u00a0against Pride products. Carnell said he has received a deluge of threats and hateful comments, as well as an \u201cunprecedented number of orders\u201d from supportive customers.<\/p>\n

In a statement provided to MarketWatch earlier this week, a Target spokesperson said the company had \u201cexperienced threats impacting our team members\u2019\u00a0sense of safety and well-being while at work\u201d since introducing this year\u2019s Pride collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven 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,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Target has offered Pride-related products for more than a decade, according to the spokesperson.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong>\u00a0Target removes some LGBTQ merchandise from stores ahead of Pride month after threats to workers<\/p>\n

Ryan, the Target Workers Unite organizer, said he had heard from an employee at one Target who was told they had \u201cmaybe 36 hours\u201d to pull items off the floor. \u201cA lot of people have said nothing has changed,\u201d he added. \u201cA few people that are in the South are saying that their [Pride] displays were moved further back in the stores.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Target has faced criticism from across the political spectrum. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, tweeted<\/a> Tuesday that Target CEO Brian Cornell was \u201cselling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists.\u201d On Thursday, Conservative Political Action Coalition chair Matt Schlapp slammed Target\u2019s \u201capparent embrace of radical gender ideology\u201d\u00a0in a letter\u00a0to Cornell.<\/p>\n

See:<\/strong>\u00a0\u2018Cleaner\u2019 Target enjoying margin recovery, analysts say<\/p>\n

The retailer has not yet responded to a request for comment on Newsom\u2019s and Schlapp\u2019s respective criticisms.<\/p>\n

Target\u2019s stock was down 1.7% Friday, compared to the S&P 500 index\u2019s
\n SPX,
\n +1.30%<\/bg-quote>
\n gain of 0.6%.<\/p>\n

Bill Peters contributed.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n