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I’m Sick of People Complaining About Pride Month and Rainbows on Clothes
In May 2023, Target pulled Pride merchandise to appease folks who hate the LGBTQIA+ community. The popular retailer claims it made this decision because “we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” but let’s be real. Target pulled Pride clothing and accessories because it lost $9 billion when bigots boycotted the store.
You can find Target’s Pride Collection 2023 removal statement in its entirety here. It’s basically a non-apology, kind of like how my narcissist ex used to say “Sorry you don’t know how to take a joke” instead of admitting he did something wrong.
I find it amusing that Target’s PR team says, “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.” Yeah, whatever. You had your chance, Target. You chose money instead of encouraging acceptance, so don’t act like everything is cool now.
Target can pretend it values the safety of its employees, but here’s the deal: Taking away Pride merchandise doesn’t keep your employees safe. In fact, it puts them in more danger because it shows anti-LGBTQIA+ folks that…