Retail giant Target has released an internal “threat brief” memo following the company’s boycott of the 2023 Pride collection.
Target’s collection includes “tuck-friendly” swimwear, pride-themed onesies and children’s clothing for those who identify as transgender women, as well as “Queer! Weird! Weird! Queer!” will always exist!”
The memo, which consists of an eight-slide PDF document titled “PRIDE Support Deck,” raises the threat of violence after customers boycotted the company over Pride products. warned.
An internal memo obtained by Timcast said, “As political and social tensions mount in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, the target is linked to ongoing social issues, including support for the LGBTQIA+ community and Pride Month. We will face increasing physical security threats that news.
The memo warned that online campaigns and boycotts resulting from the company’s launch of Pride products could “incite extremists to violence.”
“Recent extremist focal points are child ‘objectification’, gender issues, and drag performance,” the memo continues. “Customers may express their support for the LGBTQIA+ community at large by Target or their opposition to specific Pride products through in-store disruptive incidents or threats of violence.”
EXCLUSIVE: Target publishes internal “threat brief” memo regarding boycott of company’s LGBTQIA+ Pride collection.
The Pride collection features “tuck-friendly” bottoms and other products for kids with LGBTQIA+ slogans. pic.twitter.com/rTkfeDKsCF
— Chris Bertman (@manofbert) May 25, 2023
“Our Pride products may cause disagreements among team members or concerns that the target’s values may not align with theirs,” the memo continued. said physical security risks would be highest for employees “within the LGBTQIA+ community.”
“In 2023, we have not yet seen indicators that raise target-specific risk concerns,” the memo concludes. “Our retail competitors have seen similar positions in support of the LGBTQIA+ community and pride-focused product offerings.”
A Target employee who spoke to Timcast News on condition of anonymity said the company “basically calls ordinary people extremists internally.”
The employee said a version of the document was sent earlier this month. But this week, the memo was circulated again with an additional slide labeled “Threat Summary.”
The employee continued:
There are certainly people in my hometown who disagree with Target’s liberal stance, but I’m not comfortable voicing my conservative opinion. I’m sure there are many more team members who disagree with Target’s opinion. When a high-profile social issue like drugs comes up, everyone is awkwardly silent. Target says he’s open to everyone, but he’s just pushing his liberal ideals through internal emails. I was struck by how Target insinuated in this slide that if you think children are being sexualized and believe in traditional genders, you are an extremist.
The employee concluded, “I now feel unwelcome as a member of the Target team.”
Target lost $9 billion in market value in the week following the boycott, according to the New York Post.
Three items in Target’s Pride collection were created by transgender designer Eric Carnell under the brand Aprallen.
Merchandise included shirts with the message “Cure transphobia, not transgender”, fanny packs with the words “We belong here”, and “Too weird here”. It consisted of a messenger bag with a painted rainbow and a spaceship.
These items have since been removed from the retailer’s online store.
Abplaren’s website is now closed, with the home page stating, “Our store is temporarily closed.”
The page reads, “Thank you all for your constant support and love.” “I cannot thank you enough for the positivity and beautiful vibes you sent me last week.
“See you soon. With love, Eric.”
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