An activist organization, Gays Against Groomers, has accused Target of ‘indoctrinating and grooming’ young people with its Pride clothing for kids, calling it ‘very inappropriate and distressing.’
‘Trans People Will Always Exist!’ reads the slogan on the youth T-shirts the Minneapolis-based firm sells.
This has led to calls for a boycott of the business.
People are comparing the firm to Bud Light, saying it should receive the Bud Light treatment.
Anheuser-Busch suffered greatly after they decided to partner with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The catastrophic marketing approach caused sales to drop dramatically, costing the firm $6 billion.
Since 2013, Target has sponsored Pride events throughout June.
Among the many items in this year’s assortment are adult-sized lime green rompers with the word “gay” on them, a teeshirt that reads “Live Laugh Lesbian,” and a “Gender Fluid” mug.
But the children’s collection was what set everybody off.
Gays Against Groomers is at the forefront of the backlash. It’s simple— They want people to stop shopping at Target.
Jaimee Michell started the group last year in Wisconsin to fight what he calls the indoctrination, medicalization, and sexualization of children.
Media Matters, a left-leaning watchdog, and others have pointed out that Michell is a vocal supporter of President Trump and the Make America Great Again movement,
Target’s open and long-standing acceptance of the LGBTQ community is well-known.
The store came out in support of marriage equality in 2014, and the following year they stated they would no longer segregate toys and other merchandise based on gender.
They also implemented a gender-neutral line for kids and said that transgender persons could use any restroom they preferred in April 2016, when the issue of bathroom access was front and center across the country.
After receiving negative feedback, Target decided in August 2016 to spend $20 million to install private restrooms in all of their shops.
