Target's LGBTQ+ Pride Range Sparks Boycott Calls After Bud Light Controversy
Target for LGBTQ+ Pride Month—which takes place every June—has provoked outrage on social media, with calls for the retailer to receive "the Bud Light treatment."The beer brand has been embroiled in controversy since the beginning of April, after it sent a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to celebrate her first year of transitioning to a woman.
The promotional move sparked calls for a boycott, and industry data shows sales of Bud Light declined more than 17 percent across the month.Several brands have been the target of condemnation from conservatives over marketing advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.
While experts have said such campaigns provide an opportunity for brands to appeal to consumers in new markets, critics have accused companies of alienating their traditional customer base.The controversies sit at the heart of the culture wars, and speak to a broader debate around the acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals in public life.A video of the new Target range, posted on Wednesday, which has since received more than 1.3 million views, shows a T-shirt with the slogan "trans people will always exist," another depicting a woman lying down with the caption "busy thinking about girls" and a babygrow with the words "bien proud" in the colors of the LGBTQ+ flag.
It also included a rainbow neck pillow, multi-colored fairy lights as well as a trans flag.Referring to the children's clothes on display, Gays Against Groomers, which describes itself as an "organization of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination and medicalization of children," wrote: "They are indoctrinating and grooming them with LGBTQ ideology.
