Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said Target will “suffer the same fate” as Bud Light as the retail store becomes the latest company to face a conservative boycott for supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Target has received major backlash, including people threatening its staff, after it displayed a series of Pride merchandise in its stores, such as rainbow-themed clothing and LGBTQ+-friendly accessories for infants and children.
One item that has drawn particular scorn was a one-piece “tuck” friendly swimsuit aimed at transgender women which provided extra material to conceal their genitalia.
Target announced that they would be removing some items from sale at their sites in response to “volatile circumstances” for staff members amid the backlash, a move that has been criticized by LGBTQ+ groups as bowing down to pressure from “extremists.”
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The backlash against Target comes in the wake of Republicans figures calling for a boycott of Bud Light after the company sent transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney a beer can featuring her face to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her transitioning, resulting in a sharp decline in sales.
On Thursday night, Greene—who was one of the GOP lawmakers who also condemned Bud Light for the Mulvaney promotion—shared a Fox News article showing that Target has lost $9 billion in share value in the days since it was called out over its Pride merchandise.
“Experts think that Target won’t suffer the same fate as Bud Light. What they don’t realize is the guys, who quit Bud Light, wives shop at Target,” Greene tweeted. “Or at least they used to.”
The Bud Light boycott continues to prove effective, with sales volumes for the beer sinking 28.4 percent for the week ending May 13 after a 27.7 percent decline the week before, according to data cited by the Beer Business Daily trade publication.
The Fox News link shared by Greene reports that shares in Target have dropped 14.2 percent since the outrage over its Pride merchandise surfaced more than a week ago, including falling for six consecutive days until May 25.
On May 24, Target confirmed that it would be changing its store displays and removing some items from sale as a result of the backlash to its 2023 Pride collection.
“For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month. Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” the company said in a statement.
“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. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.”
California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the decision, and accused Target CEO Brian Cornell of “selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists.”
“This isn’t just a couple stores in the South. There is a systematic attack on the gay community happening across the country,” Newsom tweeted. “Wake up America. This doesn’t stop here. You’re black? You’re Asian? You’re Jewish? You’re a woman? You’re next.”
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of media monitoring organization GLAAD, said that anti-LGBTQ violence and hate “should not be winning” in the U.S. but will do so unless corporate leaders “step up as heroes for their LGBTQ employees and consumers and do not cave to fringe activists” calling for censorship.
“The fact that a small group of extremists are threatening disgusting and harsh violence in response to Target continuing its long-standing tradition of offering products for everyone should be a wake-up call for consumers and is a reminder that LGBTQ people, venues, and events are being attacked with threats and violence like never before,” Ellis tweeted.
Newsweek has contacted Target for comment via email.