A letter drafted by seven Republican Attorneys General was directed towards Target, cautioning the company about potential violations of child-protection laws in their Pride collection clothing.
Addressed to Brian Cornell, Chairman and CEO of Target Corporation, the letter centered on the company’s Pride Month displays and its support for a pro-transgender organization.
The letter expressed concern that these displays and June Pride collections at Target could be “potentially harmful to minors.” It further asserted that the campaign posed a risk of “potential interference with parental authority in matters of sex and gender identity” and raised the possibility of a “violation of fiduciary duties by the company’s directors and officers.”
The letter stated, “As Attorneys General committed to enforcing our States’ child-protection and parental-rights laws and our States’ economic interests as Target shareholders, we are concerned by recent events involving the company’s ‘Pride’ campaign. Our concerns entail the company’s promotion and sale of potentially harmful products to minors, related potential interference with parental authority in matters of sex and gender identity and possible violation of fiduciary duties by the company’s directors and officers.”
The letter asserted that the company had intentionally marketed and sold LGBTQIA+ promotional products to families and young children as part of a broader initiative to promote gender and sexual identity among children.
The attorneys general specifically brought attention to certain products, including a shirt featuring the phrase “homophobe headrest” alongside a guillotine, as well as another shirt displaying “transphobe collector” alongside a skull image.
The letter also strongly criticized the company for its partnership with “Abprallen,” a brand inspired by Satanism.
The letter also addressed the company’s support of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), expressing concerns regarding how Target’s displayed support might impact compliance with child protection and parental rights laws in their respective states.
Following the initiation of Target’s June “Pride” month campaign, the company’s stock has experienced a decline of nearly 20% as a result of significant backlash and boycotts.
The seven attorneys general emphasized that the corporation’s leadership should prioritize business over politics to address the situation.
