A California state senator put the heat on corporate leaders to stand by the LGBT community after Target removed its Pride apparel following immense backlash.
According to the Associated Press, California state Sen. Scott Wiener (D), who is also a member of the LGBT community, called for a “strategy on how to deal with corporations that are experiencing enormous pressure to throw LGBTQ people under the bus.”
Wiener urged corporate leaders to take a stand against the backlash they received for supporting the community.
“We need to send a clear message to corporate America that if you’re our ally — if you are truly our ally — you need to be our ally, not just when it’s easy but also when it’s hard,” he added.
On May 24, Weiner posted a now-viral video on Twitter of a man vandalizing Target’s Pride section.
He called out Target for backing down along with Anheuser-Busch after Bud Light faced backlash for partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“Target is removing LGBTQ Pride products because of terrorist behavior like this. Yes, this is absolutely terrorism & Target should be ashamed for caving in. Just like Anheuser-Busch caved in,” he wrote in the caption.
Weiner added, “And people wonder why there’s so much fear in our community.”
Target is removing LGBTQ Pride products because of terrorist behavior like this.
— Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) May 24, 2023
Yes, this is absolutely terrorism & Target should be ashamed for caving in. Just like Anheuser Busch caved in.
And people wonder why there’s so much fear in our community. pic.twitter.com/0kMab9s44k
On May 24, the retailer released a statement announcing it would be removing certain items from its Pride collection due to the intimidation it received as a result.
“For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month. 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,” corporation officials wrote.
Target added, “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.”
This issue came after Target teamed up with the U.K- based brand Abprallen to create designs for its LGBTQ-themed products in celebration of Pride Month in June, according to Fox News.
Eric Carnell, the transgender designer who founded the brand, featured slogans such as, “Satan Respects Pronouns,” and imagery of Baphomet, a Satanic symbol, on the apparel.
On May 27, CNN reported Carnell was glad the products were removed from the shelves.
“The amount of backlash that I have gotten has been overwhelming. I just hope that this is the beginning of the end of the messages and the onslaught that I’m getting,” Carnell told the outlet.