US retail giant Target is removing some items from its LGBTQ Pride Collection range following threats and confrontations in certain stores.
According to The BBC:
The company said on Tuesday the move would protect employees after what it described as “volatile circumstances” in some of its 2,000 shops.
In some states, Target said it had moved Pride month merchandise to the back of the store.
The 2,000-item range includes rainbow motifs and “love is love” t-shirts.
Other items include “gender fluid” mugs and children’s books titled “Bye Bye, Binary,” “Pride 1,2,3” and “I’m not a girl.”
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement.
“Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the centre of the most significant confrontational behaviour.”
A spokesperson said there has been an increase in incidents of Pride merchandise being thrown on the floor.
The products Target is withdrawing are being removed from all its US stores and its website, the spokesperson told Reuters news agency.
While various Pride Collection products are under review, the ones being immediately removed are under the Abprallen label, which has been criticised for using images of pentagrams, horned skulls and other Satanic visuals.
It comes as brands across the world find themselves mired in controversy over product ranges that hope to reflect and champion LGBTQ diversity.
In Malaysia, Swatch said authorities confiscated 164 rainbow-coloured watches worth $14,000 (£11,271) from its stores, including in the capital Kuala Lumpur last week.
Homosexuality is forbidden in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority Southeast Asian nation. Although enforcement is rare, gay sex can be punished with imprisonment and whipping.
