Target’s response to an ongoing customer backlash has drawn ire from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who on Tuesday accused the retail chain giant of “selling out the LGBTQ+ community” by pulling some transgender-themed merchandise from its shelves.
Target has recently come under fire as many social media users reacted with disgust to its promotion of an “LGBT Pride” collection, which appeared to include items intended for children, such as bathing suits with “tuck-friendly construction” and “extra crotch coverage.”
Amid an outrage faced by Bud Light because of its disastrous marketing campaign featuring Transgender TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney, Target first relocated Pride month displays to less prominent corners and then reportedly yanked some of the controversial merchandise altogether, particularly in stores in the rural South.
Newsom, who positioned himself as a champion of LGBT causes, called out Target’s chief executive over the way he handled the crisis.
“CEO of Target Brian Cornell selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists is a real profile in courage,” the Democrat governor wrote on Twitter. “This isn’t just a couple stores in the South. There is a systematic attack on the gay community happening across the country.”
“Wake up, America,” he continued. “This doesn’t stop here. You’re black? You’re Asian? You’re Jewish? You’re a woman? You’re next.”
Target, whose Pride Collection has been on sale since the beginning of this month, claimed that it has to make “adjustments” to its sales and marketing plans because its employees are feeling unsafe.
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” the company said Tuesday in a statement to media outlets. “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.”
Newsom vs. Retail Chain
This is not the first time Newsom has had trouble with a national retailer for prioritizing business over progressive social goals.In March, Newsom declared that his state would not renew a $54 million contract with Walgreens because the pharmacy chain decided not to distribute abortion pills in 21 Republican-led states where it may face legal action, only to take back that statement a month later.
“California will not stand by as corporations cave to extremists and cut off critical access to reproductive care and freedom,” Newsom said on March 8 after ordering his general services department to review all state contracts with Walgreens. “California is on track to be the fourth largest economy in the world, and we will leverage our market power to defend the right to choose.”
Newsom’s attempt to stop California from doing business with Walgreens has crashed into a legal wall. It turned out that federal law regarding Medicaid recipients prevented him from doing so, as it allows beneficiaries the option to choose healthcare providers, including where they get medical prescriptions. This would also have contradicted a central part of Newsom’s own platform, which is to have as many Californians get Medicaid coverage as possible.
San Francisco Target Went Viral
Prior to the Pride Month merchandise controversy, Target had already gone viral on social media because of anti-shoplifting measures a store in Newsom’s California took.“This is what my Target in SF looks like now,” TikTok user “srdreamtorch” wrote in the text overlaying the video. The video has generated 1.6 million views on TikTok alone since its initial upload on April 20.
A Target spokesperson told media outlets at that time that placing items in locked cases is just a part of the effort to deal with rising theft at the store.
“We’re taking proactive measures to keep our teams and guests safe while deterring and preventing theft. These mitigation efforts include hiring additional security guards, adding third-party guard services at select locations, and using new technologies and tools to protect merchandise from being stolen,” the spokesperson said.
“We are working with legislators, law enforcement, and retail industry partners to support public policy that would help achieve our goals of creating a safe environment in our stores and keeping our doors open in communities across the country,” they added.