Ahead of Pride Month (June), Target is pulling some of its LGBTQ+ merchandise after facing "threats" and backlash from customers, Politico reported.
Target's website features hundreds of items as part of its Pride Collection but will be pulling some of those items due to "threats impacting our team members' sense of safety and well-being while at work," the company said in a press statement.
The corporate giant added, "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. 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."
Target has recently received attention for its "tuck-friendly" women's swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-confirming operations to conceal their private parts.
On Twitter, California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused Target chief executive Brian Cornell of "selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists."
This has not been Target's first controversy regarding the LGBTQ+ community. In 2010, then-CEO Gregg Steinhafel—following weeks of pressure from LGBTQ+-rights groups and other activists across the country—issued a formal apology for his company's contribution to a Minnesota PAC that backed the state's likely GOP candidate for governor, who had espoused various anti-LGBTQ+ positions.
—Andrew Davis
