American retailer Target is facing criticism for introducing a new line of Christmas decorations that align with progressive gender ideology.
Target’s decision to embrace far-left gender theories, despite previous challenges and negative responses to its Pride-themed children’s products, has triggered backlash.
The company appointed Erik Thompson as its Senior LGBTQIA+ Segmentation Strategist and Pride Lead, a move that was highlighted in an Instagram post shared by Thompson and flagged by the Twitter/X account Libs of TikTok.
Identifying as “gaycruella” on social media, Thompson expressed his “honored” acceptance of the role.
“Time to whip out the Glitter & Hellfire flamethrowers and rip that old world to shreds darlings,” the self-described Target corporate employee shared.
“Let’s flip that script and rewrite that narrative.
“This time for ~ALL Guests, ALL Humans & ALL Hearts.”
A post announcing Thompson’s role was shared on a popular social media platform. The viral post garnered reactions from many users on the original Instagram post.
Remember when @Target sold tucking swimwear for kids and their sales dropped, stock plunged, and they were sued by shareholders?
Apparently they didn’t learn their lesson cuz they just hired an LGBTQ activist to lead their “LGBTQIA+ multicultural merchandising strategy and pride… pic.twitter.com/wDZW7hshKi
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 15, 2023
Thompson’s LinkedIn profile indicates his employment with Target since June 2014. Over the years, he has held roles such as business analyst and buyer. In 2013, he worked as an executive intern at Target. Thompson updated his profile to reflect his new role, which became active in November 2023. His LinkedIn bio provides details about his professional background.
“On a mission to lead in the effort of working to flip the script and rewrite the narrative of CPG retail industries to better serve all consumer segments and thoughtfully & authentically cater to *ALL guests, ALL humans, & ALL hearts* who enter our stores and across the nation.”
In Target’s third quarter, which concluded on October 28, the company experienced a 4.9 percent decline in sales. This followed a 5.4% drop in the second quarter, marking Target’s first quarterly sales decrease in six years. Target CEO Brian Cornell acknowledged the challenging sales trends, stating that they are focused on returning to growth.
These disappointing reports followed criticism over Target’s Pride Month products, particularly those aimed at children. The Pride-themed items included a diverse swimsuit for children, LGBTQ-themed books, and an adult “Pride” collection featuring unique swimsuits and clothing. Target faced further backlash for selling Pride-themed nutcrackers and disabled Santa ornaments, which stirred controversy on social media platforms like Twitter/X.
Target outdid itself this year for Christmas pic.twitter.com/F0YpLmOrkt
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 15, 2023
