Republican attorneys general warn Target’s Pride collection may violate child safety regulations, raising concerns of parental authority and fiduciary duties.
On Wednesday, seven Republican state attorneys general issued a warning to Target that its Pride collection may be in violation of child safety regulations.
State officials are “concerned” that Target’s 2023 Pride collection was “potentially harmful to minors” because it interfered “with parental authority in matters of sex and gender identity, and possible violation of fiduciary duties by the company’s directors and officers,” according to a five-page letter from the seven AGs to Target CEO Brian Cornell.
“It is likely more profitable to sell the type of Pride that enshrines the love of the United States,” they said.
Attorney General Todd Rokita of Indiana spearheaded the group, which also included attorneys general from Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and South Carolina.
According to what they said, “Target wittingly marketed and sold LGBTQIA+ promotional products to families and young children as part of a comprehensive effort to promote gender and sexual identity among children.”
Several items from the discount retailer’s “PRIDE” brand were singled out in the letter as being especially offensive.
“LGBT-themed onesies, bibs, and overalls,” it read, “t-shirts labeled ‘Girls Gays Theys’; ‘Pride Adult Drag Queen Katya’ (which depicts a male dressed in female ‘drag’); and girls’ swimsuits with ‘tuck-friendly construction’ and ‘extra crotch coverage’ for male genitalia.”
It’s unclear what the AGs want from Target in terms of resolving the alleged threat to child safety laws, such as whether or not they want Target to pull the rest of its Pride line.
Some LGBTQ-friendly children’s clothing from Target has apparently been removed from stores. It is unclear which items were removed.
The Post’s request for comment from Target representatives was met with silence.
Shirts depicting a guillotine and the words “Homophobe headrest” and “Transphobe collector” were also singled out in the letter.
In addition, the attorneys general criticized Target for carrying products by the “self-declared ‘Satanist-Inspired’ brand Abprallen,” which the attorneys general claimed “glorified violence.”
The letter claimed that “Target’s ‘PRIDE’ campaign was decidedly not an example of excellence in retail,” and that the subsequent boycott jeopardized the company’s financial interests.
The letter pointed out that the Minneapolis-based company lost over $12 billion in market value due to the fallout from the controversy.
Target’s share price fell by 1.2% on Thursday, bringing it to $130.92. Shares have dropped by more than 18% in the last six months.
The letter said that there was enough information to suspect that Target’s directors and officials had been careless.
In May, the CEO was interviewed on Fortune’s “Leadership Next” podcast, where he was asked about the pushback against “woke” capitalism, which has also affected other major corporations like Disney and the venerable beer brand Bud Light.
As Cornell put it, these “good business decisions” also benefit society and are beneficial to the company’s reputation.
The CEO of Target, which has over 450,000 employees in over 1,900 stores across the country, has stated that the company’s strategy is designed to meet the needs of an increasingly varied clientele.
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