Target is facing a consumer boycott over its Pride Month collection, which consists of children’s transgender swimsuits, books called “bye bye binary,” and a handful of items created by a British designer whose slogans include “Satan respects pronouns.”
Target unveiled its Pride Month collection in early May, just after the Bud Light Dylan Mulvaney controversy.
While there was some initial grumbling about the “crease-friendly” swimsuits in the women’s department, much of the extensive collection of clothing, books and home accessories has gone unnoticed.
But the attention – and outrage – is now on one of the designers whose works are on display, and his apparent penchant for the satanic.
Eric Carnell is the British designer behind Abprallen, an LGBTQ brand that sells t-shirts, sweaters, bags and badges.
Eric Carnell is the British designer behind Abprallen, an LGBTQ brand that sells t-shirts, sweaters, bags and badges
Target is selling two items from the brand: a $25 slogan jumper with the words “cure transphobia not trans people” wrapped around a sword
An $18 “too queer for here” tote bag is also available for purchase through Target’s website and in stores
Target sells two items from the brand: a $25 slogan jumper with the words “cure transphobia not trans people” wrapped around a sword, an $18 “too queer for here” tote bag, and a “we belong everywhere” bum bag which is now sold out.
Eric – a transgender man – proudly shared photos of the collaboration on Instagram.
“These have already enraged the transphobes at me and I feel like a real celebrity for thinking that they believe this is all one big conspiracy and that I have the power to brainwash anyone if I’m just a guy drawing pictures! ‘ he said.
A closer look at his other work reveals more sinister material.
These include badges with slogans such as ‘Satan Respects Pronouns’, ‘Young, Queer and Willing’ and a lighter pin with the words ‘burn down the cis-tem’.
There are badges for sale on Abprallen’s site, including one with the slogan “young, bisexual and willing”
Other items for sale in the Abpralle Etsy shop are sinister. Stickers and badges that denigrate “cis feelings” – the feelings of non-trans people – and Fox News is one of them
A guillotine pin with the words ‘homophobic headrest’ and a pair of axes calling for the ‘struggle for trans rights’ are also for sale online
A description on Abprallen’s Etsy shop describes the designer’s interpretation of Satan
He also models the “Satan respects pronouns” T-shirt on an Instagram page while wearing BDSM style horns and no pants.
In a bio on the brand’s website, he says he has always been fascinated by the “frightening and mystical.”
“I juxtapose it with images of skulls and spooky things — an interest of mine since I was a kid. There is something magical about the unknown, the frightening and the mystical, which is why I show these themes so often in my art,” he says.
In a description on his Etsy store, he continues, “Satan loves you and respects who you are. You are important and valuable in this world and you deserve to treat yourself with love and respect.
The brand has now caught the attention of Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas. “Even by the standards of awakened companies, Target’s partnership with a satanist to push the trans agenda on kids is remarkable. “Next time Target comes begging for help, Republicans should reply, ‘good luck,'” he tweeted
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about The Satanic Temple, and to a lesser extent The Church of Satan, how they are so often misunderstood and demonized (pun not intended) and how LGBT+ people are so often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God’s will.
Satanists don’t really believe in Satan, he’s just used as a symbol of passion, pride and freedom. He means to you what you want him to mean.
“So to me, Satan is hope, compassion, equality, and love.”
The brand has now caught the attention of Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
“Even by the standards of awakened companies, Target’s partnership with a satanist to push the trans agenda on kids is remarkable.
“Next time Target comes begging for help, Republicans should reply, ‘good luck,'” he tweeted.
Cullen has yet to respond to the criticism. Questions went unanswered Tuesday morning.
On TikTok, irate mothers have started filming themselves in the aisle of the store, shocked and disgusted by the Pride displays.
Target released a statement today to insist that the “pleat-friendly” swim shorts that infuriated so many were not available in children’s sizes
Swim skirts and suits for other children are still sold online taking into account ‘all gender expressions’
Pride onesies with slogans like ‘I am proud always’ and ‘It Takes All Kinds’ are also available for purchase
Books like ‘Goodbye, bye, binary – no one puts baby in a pink or blue corner!’ are also sold
Target’s CEO has so far downplayed the controversy.
Last week, he defended the decision to put such a strong emphasis on the collection, telling Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast, “When we think about purpose at Target, it’s really about helping all families, and that ‘everything’ word is very important.
“Most of America shops at Target, so we want to do the right thing to support families across the country.”
Today, the company released a statement saying that the “crease-friendly” swim trunks that infuriated so many people were not available in children’s sizes.
Swim skirts and suits for other children are still being sold online taking into account ‘all gender expressions’.
Many are now calling for Target to be given the “Bud Light treatment” — a reference to the hard-and-fast boycott the beer brand faced after an ill-fated social media partnership with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney.
“If that’s not a reason to boycott Target, I don’t know what is,” said Kaylee Campbell Layton, the wife of a California Marine who shared a video of some Pride kids’ clothing online.
Fox news quotes insiders saying many Southern stores have moved Pride merchandise to the back of their premises to avoid further anger.
“We were given 36 hours to move all of our Pride stuff, the whole section, into a section that’s a third the size. From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage.
“We call our customers ‘guests’, there is outrage on their part. This year it’s just exponentially more than any other year.
“I think given the current situation with Bud Light, the company is terrified of a Bud Light situation.”
