Target has recently come under fire for its new lineup of LGBT-related Christmas merchandise. The department store has managed to reignite backlash from conservative consumers ahead of the busy holiday shopping season.
Angry shoppers have slammed Target for rolling out several items such as a “Pride Santa” and a “Pride Christmas Nutcracker Figure.” The gay-themed Santa Claus figurine is shown holding a rainbow flag while wearing a t-shirt stating “love is love.” The nutcracker item can be seen holding some sort of an LGBT-adjacent flag with a rainbow hat.
“We sent one of our producers to Target and they found this gay nut cracker complete with a rainbow hat and trans flag. Full price twelve dollars, but right now it’s on sale for eight. Target also sells Santa ornaments. But Target Santa is in a wheelchair and is black. And it’s a good thing our chimney is wheelchair accessible so Jesse Jr. is gonna get all the gifts he wants. Gay Nutcracker and wheelchair,” said Fox News host Jesse Watters when providing hilarious commentary on the woke merchandise.
Conservative activist Riley Gaines also commented on the pride-themed Christmas items, asking, “Why do they keep pushing this? Who are they trying to appeal to? Because despite what the media portrays or how politicians are voting, this doesn’t represent the overwhelming majority of this country, really how the world, feels on this issue.”
Needless to say, Target has angered consumers yet again, appearing to have not learned anything from the consequences of its controversy earlier this year. Target was criticized for partnering with an outspoken Satanist designer while rolling out a line of pride-themed merchandise, accused of targeting children. Furthermore, the company also sold a “tuck-friendly” female swimsuit.
Conservatives began a powerful boycott against Target, and the company lost approximately $10 billion over a 10-day period as the stock dropped roughly 14 percent to a valuation of around $64 billion. As Target has proverbially kicked the hornet nest yet again near the Christmas season, holiday shoppers could turn away from the store during a crucial period of heightened demand, further exacerbating financial woes.
Subsequently, Consumers’ Research recently put Target on notice, issuing a “woke alert” against the department store. The nonprofit organization seeks to make consumers more aware of the activity and behavior of large companies.
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“Target continues to support woke policies, even after immense backlash for their pride month line, which included LGBTQ+ merchandise geared toward children, and even babies. This line included “tuck friendly” bathing suits for kids, children’s books on transgenderism, and clothing emblazoned with proactive LGBTQ+ slogans and more. To make matters worse, when recently confronted on national TV about these products, Target CEO Brian Cornell tried to sweep the controversy under the rug by flat-out lying, stating “Well, I think you and I both know those weren’t true …” the notice read.
Many remain confused about how companies can continue to pursue such disastrous woke initiatives when they can observe other companies embroiled in controversy. It is even more confusing when a company like Target doubles down after suffering a massive blow just months prior.