Republican attorneys general from seven states signed a letter Wednesday to Target, warning clothes and merchandise sold as part of the retail giant's Pride month campaigns could violate their state's child protection laws.
GOP attorneys general from Indiana, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and South Carolina signed the letter, writing they were "concerned by recent events involving the company's 'Pride' campaign." The letter asserts the states are obliged to "enforce state laws protecting children" from "content that sexualizes them," including obscenity laws. The letter also suggests Target may be breaching the law by making decisions that are allegedly "unprofitable" and not in the best interests of its shareholders, citing it as a violation of the company's fiduciary duty.
The AGs said they believed the campaign was a "comprehensive effort to promote gender and sexual identity among children," criticizing items such as "LGBT-themed onesies, bibs, and overalls, T-shirts labeled 'Girls Gays Theys'; 'Pride Adult Drag Queen Katya' (which depicts a male dressed in female drag'); and girls' swimsuits with 'tuck-friendly construction.'"
The letter does not provide specific details regarding potential legal consequences if Target continues to sell the merchandise in question. It follows a wave of bills introduced in various states aiming to ban LGBTQ+ content under obscenity laws, as well as a record-shattering year for anti-LGBTQ legislation, with particular scrutiny on gender-affirming health care access for transgender children and teenagers. Nineteen states have passed laws restricting it.
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group in the US, slammed the letter as "another attempt from the extreme right to bully anyone who stands by values of inclusion and diversity."
"These attorneys general are trying to rile up their far-right base and force us back into the closet. It's not going to work," Jay Brown, HRC's Sr Vice President of Programs, Training and Research said in a statement provided to CNN.
"This playbook of lying about LGBTQ+ people, of depicting us as some kind of danger, is a very old line of attack and it does nothing to move us toward a more just and equal society. It also doesn't make any sense for businesses. LGBTQ+ people are part of the fabric of humanity -- of their own workforce. And more than 1 in 5 of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ+ -- so we're also their future. Research shows brands that support the community is something consumers and the public want and believe in," the Human Rights Campaign statement continued.
In May, Target said it was removing some products celebrating Pride Month after the company and its employees became the focus of a "volatile" anti-LGBTQ campaign. The company said threats against employees impacted their sense of safety and well-being, but Target did not specify which products it was removing, the nature of the threats, or where they occurred. Target said it removed from shelves "items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior."
Target did not have comment on the letter.
