LGBTQ+ creators whose work has been pulled from Target’s shelves have begun to speak out about the backlash to its annual Pride Collection, with some sharing that they’ve been inundated with orders, as well as received death threats after the big box retailer nixed their products.
Designer Erik Carnell, whose brand Abprallen was a part of this year’s Target Pride Collection, posted to his Instagram stories on Thursday that he has been “completely overwhelmed” with orders ever since Target made its decision. According to Reuters, Carnell was targeted for backlash because his items frequently feature pentagrams, horned skulls, and other witchy imagery conservatives have branded “Satanic.” Carnell added that he has closed his store while he deals with the high volume of orders.
Carnell also told the Daily Dot that he had received death threats, as well as threats of gun violence, including over 500 messages wishing him harm.
In an Instagram story, Carnell said that he has been avoiding social media while dealing with the spotlight.
“Your messages of love and solidarity haven’t gone unnoticed,” he said. “But I hope you understand that it’s taking me a while to get back to everyone individually.” To those who sent him kind messages, he said the support is “incredibly appreciated.”
“I don’t have the words to express how much it means to have you all beside me,” he wrote. Carnell also said that he’s being selective about talking with journalists at this moment. Them reached out for comment and will update if we hear back.
Queer and trans-owned brand Ash + Chess wrote on Instagram that “the majority of our collection” had been pulled from Target due to “threats from domestic terrorists.”
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“Emotionally, we do not currently have the bandwidth to comment further on this,” a Friday morning Instagram post said. “We appreciate your support and love. Queer and trans people exist in the past, present, and future, and we are stronger together.”
JZD, a queer- and Latina-owned brand based in Texas that debuted their Pride collection at Target stores earlier this month, posted on Instagram on Thursday to say that their Pride designs were pulled from stores, making some only available online, while others were removed completely both from stores and the website. Finally, they said that some of their items have been moved to the back of the store in some Southern states. "The past few days have been emotionally draining, " the post says. JZD did not name Target in the post. They also said their DMs and comments “are filled with love and support.”
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A targeted backlash to the store’s products began after right-wing commentators like Matt Walsh and the social media account Gays Against Groomers spread the lie that Target was marketing its “tuck-friendly” swimwear, which is part of its collection, to children. Walsh said on a May 17 episode of his podcast that the swimsuits were “available in kid’s sizes,” which fact-checking site Politifact has said is false.
This online disinformation led to IRL harassment, as customers began to enter Target stores, harass employees and destroy Pride displays, according to reporting in the Wall Street Journal. Several videos of the harassment have gone viral, including the one below, which depicts a man in Missoula, Montana, destroying a display and reportedly harassing a trans customer, though the video does not show that.
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In another viral clip, a social media user who goes by Trump’s Nephew, opens a book about LGBTQ+ identities for children and then rifles through some of the display’s racks.
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On May 24, Target said that it would be pulling some pieces from the collection in stores to ensure employee safety. Some employees have since spoken out, saying that the move alienated LGBTQ+ employees and confirming that in several stores, Pride displays were banished to the back of the store to be less visible.
In an email to Target staff late on Wednesday, Target CEO Brian Cornell defended the measures, saying the situation went “well beyond discomfort” and that it has been “gut-wrenching” to see the backlash.
“To the LGBTQIA+ community, one of the hardest parts in all of this was trying to contemplate how the adjustments we’re making to alleviate these threats to our team’s physical and psychological safety would impact you and your wellbeing and psychological safety,” he wrote. “We stand with you now and will continue to do so — not just during Pride Month, but each and every day.”
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