After threats and confrontations in certain shops, US retailer Target removes some LGBTQ Pride Collection goods.
On Tuesday, the business announced it would protect employees after “volatile circumstances” in several of its 2,000 stores.
According to Target, Pride Month goods had been relocated to the stores back in some states.
Among the 2,000 items are t-shirts with the phrase “love is love” and rainbow-themed items.
Other things include children’s books named “I’m not a girl,” “Bye Bye, Binary,” and “Pride 1, 2, 3.”
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target stated.
We are changing our plans, including removing the things that have caused the most trouble.
A source said that the number of times Pride merchandise has been thrown on the floor has gone up.
The official informed Reuters that Target is removing the products from its US stores and website.
Target’s representative informed Reuters that all US stores and its website are removing the withdrawn products.
Abprallen’s Pride Collection items, which have been criticized for incorporating pentagrams, horned skulls, and other Satanic imagery, are being removed immediately.
It comes as firms worldwide face backlash over LGBTQ-inclusive product lines.
Last week, Malaysian police took 164 rainbow-colored watches worth $14,000 (£11,271) from Swatch shops, including one in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Muslim-majority Malaysia outlaws homosexuality. Gay sex can be jailed and whipped.
“We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colours and having a message of peace and love could be harmful,” stated Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek. “This has nothing political.”
Mr. Hayek said, “We wonder how the home ministry’s enforcement unit will take away the many beautiful rainbows that appear in the sky of Malaysia a thousand times a year.”
Sarah Kok, the marketing manager for Swatch, said that the company’s headquarters in Switzerland told them to get more Pride Watches and put them on shop shelves.
Based on a summons notice that AFP saw sent to Swatch, the watches had “LGBT elements” and broke a 1984 printing law that critics of the government have long called a hash.
