Attorneys General Defend Children from “Targeting”

CV NEWS FEED // Seven attorneys general signed a letter to the head of Target condemning the retail giant’s targeting of children with LGBTQ-themed products.

The promotion of “tuck-friendly” swimsuits, a Satanic designer, and LGBTQ merchandise for infants have led to significant public backlash against Target in recent weeks.

The letter comes after a coalition of blue-state attorneys general sent their own letter on June 16. The Democrat-led letter supported Target’s “Pride” campaign and suggested that parents opposed to the megacorporation could be punished under anti-discrimination laws.

“As Attorneys General committed to enforcing our States’ child-protection and parental-rights laws and our States’ economic interests as Target shareholders, we are concerned by recent events involving the company’s ‘Pride’ campaign,” the newer letter stated. 

The letter was dated Wednesday, July 5, and was addressed to Brian Cornell, the Chairman and CEO of Target Corporation. It was co-signed by Missouri AG Andrew Bailey, Mississippi AG Lynn Fitch, Arkansas AG Tim Griffin, Idaho AG Raul Labrador, Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron, and South Carolina AG Alan Wilson. 

“Our concerns entail the company’s promotion and sale of potentially harmful products to minors, related potential interference with parental authority in matters of sex and gender identity, and possible violation of fiduciary duties by the company’s directors and officers,” the attorneys general wrote. 

The document listed in detail the offensive and concerning products that Target has sold. “These designs include the phrases ‘We Bash Back’ with a heart-shaped mace in the trans-flag colors, ‘Transphobe Collector’ with a skull, and ‘Homophobe

Headrest’ with skulls beside a pastel guillotine,” according to the letter. It also mentioned anti-Christian designs including pentagrams, horned skulls, and a hermaphrodite demon.

The officials also expressed concern over Target’s funding of the “Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network” (GLSEN), an organization that has faced criticism for hiding information about children from their parents. 

“GLSEN furnishes resources to activists for the purpose of undermining parents’ constitutional and statutory rights by supporting ‘secret gender transitions for kids,’” the letter charged. 

Finally, the letter emphasized the severe financial impacts of Target’s decisions. 

“Target’s ‘Pride’ campaign was decidedly not an example of excellence in retail,” the letter argued:

The campaign prompted a “massive backlash”—from families, its core customer base—that led to the company experiencing “an unprecedented losing streak.” Target’s stock prices dropped by 16 percent and the company lost $12 billion in market value.

The massive financial loss that Target suffered due to boycotts and vandalization has stockholders and citizens upset. The letter pointed out that while Target does not have any reason to satisfy the wants of a marginal group such as LGBTQ activists, “…Target management does have fiduciary duties to its shareholders to prudently manage the company and act loyally in the company’s best interests.” 

The letter went on to state that “Target’s board and its management may not lawfully dilute their fiduciary duties to satisfy the Board’s (or left-wing activists’) desires to foist contentious social or political agendas upon families and children at the expense of the company’s hardwon good will and against its best interests.” 

While Target has defended its actions as being the “best thing for society,” its “inclusive” campaigning has turned out to be perhaps the most divisive moment in the company’s history. 

“It is likely more profitable to sell the type of Pride that enshrines the love of the United States,” the letter urged. “Target’s Pride Campaign alienates whereas Pride in our country unites.”

Readers can find the full letter here. 

Readers can visit CatholicVote’s guide here to learn about the Target boycott and how to help.