Target is receiving backlash over its controversial partnership for its pride collection.
According to Fox News, Target recently teamed up with the U.K- based brand Abprallen to create designs for its LGBTQ-themed products in celebration of Pride Month in June.
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.
Users on Twitter were not pleased with Target’s new direction and expressed their disapproval.
“Why did [Target] hire a Satanist to design pieces for their recent ‘Pride’ clothing line? WTF ‘Satan loves you and respects who you are… LGBTQIA+ people are so often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God’s will, so fine. We’ll hang with Satan instead,'” a mother of five wrote in the caption of a photo showcasing the clothing and Carnell’s statements.
Why did @target hire a Satanist to design pieces for their recent "Pride" clothing line?
— Scarlett Johnson (@scarlett4kids) May 20, 2023
WTF👉🏽"Satan loves you and respects who you are… LGBTQIA+ people are so often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God's will, so fine. We'll hang with Satan instead." pic.twitter.com/FLsNZNzHNa
One user responded to the post by encouraging a “boycott” of the major retailer.
“There are many other choices,” the user continued.
Another user accused Target of “targeting your children.”
“Hey [Target] you’ve really jumped the shark on this one. I will never step foot into your stores again. Hope that social credit score was worth it,” another user wrote.
In an Instagram post on March 28, Carnell explained his personal views on Satanism.
“Satanists don’t actually believe in Satan, he is merely used as a symbol of passion, pride, and liberty. He means to you what you need him to mean. So for me, Satan is hope, compassion, equality, and love,” Carnell wrote in the caption of a photo showing one of his designs.
Continuing, Carnell said, “So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBT+ people. I went with a variation of Baphomet for this design, a deity who themself is a mixture of genders, beings, ideas, and existences.”
