State Attorneys General Blast Target Over Pride; Here's Why the Controversy Won't Die

As LGBQT+ Pride Month draws to a close, Target Corporation’s  (TGT) - Get Free Report move to pull Pride merchandise from shelves increasingly appears rooted in clumsy impulsivity versus the careful deliberation we’ve come to expect from the retailer.

In other words, Target panicked -- plain and simple. And the emergence of some significant evidence supports such a conclusion.

Last month, the retailer said it would remove some brands from its Pride collection due to objections from right wing critics, including extremists who had previously threatened to attack employees and customers at stores.

From the get go, something didn’t smell right. Conservative furor over Pride merchandise is nothing new. And since Pride is an annual event, Target would have a full year to prepare for all scenarios.

Exhaust All Options?

Pulling products off shelves, especially at all 2,000 stores across the country, because of safety concerns amounts to a last resort, a drastic thing you do when all other options fail or don’t seem adequate. If Target knew something was imminent, common sense suggests the retailer would station more security guards or ask authorities for help.

Now it seems Target, especially on the last point, didn’t really exhaust all of its options before choosing to censor itself. A group of state attorneys general, including New York, Massachusetts, and Target’s home state of Minnesota, recently sent a letter to CEO Brian Cornell criticizing the company’s decision to pull the merchandise.

Here’s the key passage from the letter:

“If Target again finds itself facing anti-LGBTQIA+ harassment -- whether of customers or employees—store management or the corporate office are encouraged to reach out to our offices. We are ready, willing, and able to work with you in the spirit of progress, inclusivity, and equality.”

The passage strongly indicates that Target did not consult state attorneys general before deciding to pull the merchandise. If Target was really worried about an imminent threat to its stores, wouldn’t it have been prudent to reach out to the state’s top law enforcement officer?

Trouble In Arizona

When asked if Target met with the state attorneys general to discuss their concerns, a company spokeswoman declined to comment and referred TheStreet to its earlier statement:

“Since introducing this year’s collection, we've experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well being while at work. Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”

Interestingly enough, one of the officials who signed the letter was Arizona State Attorney General Kristin Mayes. Arizona is the state where Target had previously received some of its worst threats, particularly from a local extremist well known to local authorities.

Ethan Schmidt-Crockett, a long time anti-LGBTQ+ provocateur in Arizona, has harassed people at Barnes & Noble and previously threatened to “hunt down” LGBTQ+ supporters in Target stores.

If Target was worried that Schmidt-Crockett was going to pull something this year, you would think Mayes would be one of the first people on the company’s speed dial list.