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Major retailer Target has had a win after weeks of facing calls for a boycott over its support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Target faced criticism, a boycott campaign and even bomb threats to some stores for stocking LGBTQ+ items ahead of the 2023 Pride Season. The retail giant was also targeted for selling transgender friendly clothing in its range, such as "tuck friendly" swimsuits, worn by transgender women to conceal private parts.
Conservatives were not impressed with the clothing range and led the boycott campaign. Target experienced a 16 percent fall in its stock price in the past month and roughly 18 percent over the past year, but that was likely due to the resumption of student loan payments in the U.S. that was part of the recent debt ceiling bill.
Despite the controversy, Target has managed a small win and gained more than 14,000 new Instagram followers in the past month, according to social media statistics website Social Blade.
It did lose 1,000 followers on June 4 and 5, but other than those two days of losses, Target averaged 469 new followers every day.
Target eventually removed some of the controversial products from its shelves and relocated displays, citing employee safety as the reason, but remained adamant it was still an LGBTQ+ ally.
"For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month," Target said in a statement following the calls to boycott. "Since introducing this year's collection, we've experienced threats impacting our team members' sense of safety and well-being while at work.
"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. 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 has not been the only company to face backlash for its work with the LGBTQ+ community.
Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, have faced huge financial losses after a national boycott campaign kicked off in April after the beer brand partnered with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer and activist.
Other companies to come under fire for their work with LGBTQ+ people have included Hershey's chocolate, Discovery+ and even conservative news network Fox News for its acknowledgment of Pride Month.
The ongoing boycott campaigns come as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) called for a "state of emergency" for LGBTQ+ people due to the "worst year on record," in state legislatures.
More than 525 bills focusing on the LGBTQ+ community were introduced in different states. Of those proposed laws, 220 specifically target transgender people, including their access to gender-affirming health care for transgender people, especially minors.
Of the 525 bills, 76 had been signed into law so far, which is more than any year on record.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more