Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.

Now that status is tarnished after it removed some products aimed at LGBTQ+ and relocated Pride Month displays to the back of stores in certain Southern locations in response to online complaints and in-store confrontations that it says threatened employeesB次元官网网址� well-being.

Target faces a second backlash from customers upset by the discount retailerB次元官网网址檚 reaction to aggressive, anti-LGBTQ+ activism, which has also been sweeping through Republican state legislatures. Civil rights groups chided the company on Wednesday for caving to anti-LGBTQ+ customers who tipped over displays and expressed outrage over gender-fluid bathing suits.

B次元官网网址淭arget should put the products back on the shelves and ensure their Pride displays are visible on the floors, not pushed into the proverbial closet,B次元官网网址� Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 what the bullies want.B次元官网网址�

The uproar over TargetB次元官网网址檚 Pride Month marketing B次元官网网址� and its response to critics B次元官网网址� is just the latest example of how companies are struggling to cater to different groups of customers at a time of extreme cultural divides, particularly around transgender rights.

Bud Light is still dealing with the fallout from when it sent transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney a beer can with her face on it, which Mulvaney then displayed in an Instagram post, igniting backlash. Bud LightB次元官网网址檚 parent company is tripling its U.S. marketing spending this summer as it tries to restore lost sales.

In Florida, Disney has been engaged in a legal battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis since expressing opposition to the stateB次元官网网址檚 classroom limits on discussing gender identity and sexual orientation.

Allen Adamson, the co-founder and managing partner of the marketing firm Metaforce, said Target should have thought through the potential for backlash and taken steps to avoid it, like varying the products it sells by region.

B次元官网网址淭he country is far less homogenous than it ever was,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淔or any brand, itB次元官网网址檚 not B次元官网网址榦ne size fits allB次元官网网址� anymore.B次元官网网址�

Shares of Target, which is based in Minneapolis, extended their fall on Thursday, declining 2.6% in morning trading. On Wednesday, the stock closed down 3%.

According to a 2021 Gallup poll, 21% of people in Generation Z identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, compared with 3% of Baby Boomers. Gallup has also found that younger consumers are most likely to want brands to promote diversity and take a stand on social issues.

B次元官网网址淧ulling back is the worst thing that they could have done,B次元官网网址� said Jake Bjorseth, who runs trndsttrs, an agency helping brands understand and reach Gen Z customers. B次元官网网址淣ot to expect potential backlash is to not understand what (LGBTQ+) members go through on a daily basis.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淥nce they fold to the more extreme edges of the issue, then theyB次元官网网址檝e lost their footing,B次元官网网址� Adamson added. B次元官网网址淚f you can change a big brand just by knocking over a display, then they are on the defense, and you never win on the defense.B次元官网网址�

Target has long been seen as a trailblazer among retailers in the way it embraced LGBTQ+ rights and customers. It was among the first to showcase themed merchandise to honor Pride Month, which takes place in June, and it has been out front in developing relationships with LGBTQ+ suppliers.

It has also faced backlash. In 2016, when a national debate exploded over transgender rights, the company declared that B次元官网网址渋nclusivity is a core belief at TargetB次元官网网址� and said it supported transgender employees and customers using whichever restroom or fitting room B次元官网网址渃orresponds with their gender identity.B次元官网网址�

But even after being threatened with boycotts by some customers, Target announced months later that more stores would make available a single-toilet bathroom with a door that could be locked.

As recently as last year, law enforcement agencies were brought in to monitor a social media threat from a young Arizona man who said he was B次元官网网址渓eading the warB次元官网网址� against Target for its Pride Month merchandise, and he encouraged others to take action.

But the company is operating in an even more politicized environment now.

There are close to 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have gone before state legislatures since the start of this year, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. At least 17 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, though judges have temporarily blocked their enforcement in some states.

Target declined on Thursday to say which items it was pulling from its stores. But B次元官网网址渢uck friendlyB次元官网网址� womenB次元官网网址檚 swimsuits, which allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts, were among TargetB次元官网网址檚 Pride items that garnered the most attention. Target removed online this week designs by Abprallen, a London-based company that sells some occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing and accessories outside of Target.

Abprallen couldnB次元官网网址檛 immediately be reached for comment but its website on Thursday said it was temporarily closed, with a message that read: B次元官网网址淭hank you all for your unrelenting support and love. The positivity and beautiful vibes youB次元官网网址檝e sent my way this past week has been overwhelming.B次元官网网址�

The controversy at Target has been exacerbated by several misleading videos circulating online. In some, people falsely claimed the retailer was selling B次元官网网址渢uck-friendlyB次元官网网址� bathing suits for kids.

B次元官网网址滸iven 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,B次元官网网址� Target said in a statement Tuesday.

The company pledged its continued support for the LGBTQ+ community and noted it is B次元官网网址渟tanding with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.B次元官网网址�

Indeed, it was business as usual at many Target locations on Wednesday.

At the Target in Topeka, Kansas, the Pride display remained up front, visible as shoppers passed a corral of shopping carts right after the entrance. It included Pride-themed clothing for kids, as well as T-shirts and womenB次元官网网址檚 bathing suits for adults.

B次元官网网址淚 like that our local stores here have it front and center, when you walk in,B次元官网网址� said Shay Hibler, a Topeka self-employed small business owner who was shopping with her 13-year-old daughter and supports LGBTQ+ rights.

Megan Rusch, a Kansas City-area resident who is studying criminal justice at Washburn University in Topeka, was shopping at the same store and said while other locations might worry about their image, B次元官网网址淭his is a pretty diverse area.B次元官网网址�

She said she believes itB次元官网网址檚 good for the stores to have the Pride displays so that LGBTQ+ customers feel included.

Her shopping companion, Blake Ferguson, a Colorado resident who is studying accounting and finance student at Ottawa University, added simply: B次元官网网址淟ove is love.B次元官网网址�

Anne DB次元官网网址檌nnocenzio And Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press

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