A shopper walks past a display of Pride Month merchandise at a Target store on May 31, 2023 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Target will limit the number of stores selling LGBTQ-themed products, following a firestorm last year over a decision to sell products aimed at transgender people.
Retailer said on Thursday that the company will sell its Pride products in a select number of nearly 2,000 stores and on its website this year, citing “historical sales performance.” The company added that in addition to selling home goods and LGBTQ-themed food and drink products, clothing from the Pride collection will be tailored for adults this year. Pride children’s clothing will not be sold.
Last decision first reported by Bloomberg Newsrepresents a shift away from offering products in all Target stores as the company done in previous years.
“Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round,” a company spokesperson said in an email Friday. “Most importantly, we want to create a welcoming and supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ team members that reflects our culture of caring for the more than 400,000 people who work at Target.”
“We have a long history of offering benefits and resources to the community, and we will have in-house programs for the 2024 Pride celebration,” the spokesperson added.
Last year, Target was the target of a boycott on social media by some shoppers who disagreed with the retailer’s decision. sell swimsuits for transgender peoplewith many people false accusing the seller of selling them to children. Pride-themed children’s clothing included clothing with supportive slogans such as “Just be yourself” and “Trans will always exist!”
Target spent the better part of a decade publicly supporting the LGBT movement after controversy including its CEO’s 2010 donation to a group that supported a gubernatorial candidate who opposed gay marriage.
But last year’s backlash led to the company removing trans-oriented products from its shelves amid customer harassment of store employees.
The goal was also false accused of selling “satanic” children’s clothing, further alienating some conservative shoppers.
Some conservatives welcomed the company’s announcement to trim this year’s collection.