Seven attorneys general (including Missouri’s Andrew Bailey) wrote a letter to Target last week accusing the retailer of selling obscene LGBTQ+ material to kids in its Pride collection.
Target became embroiled in controversy in June when right-wingers found “tuck friendly” tags on swimsuits, indicating that there was extra crotch material to cover up male genitalia in a female-style swimsuit. The right claimed that the tags were on toddler swimsuits, though it was proven that the tag was only on adult swimwear.
Still, Target backtracked on its entire Pride collection, moving it to the back of the store and removing some items. The retailer said the move was to protect employees. This alienated Target from the LGBTQ+ community while doing nothing to assuage the anger on the right.
The letter really has nothing to say, other than to tell Target that these seven attorneys general are the sorts of people who think LGBTQ” merchandise is obscene, and they have to put words like Pride and LGBTQIA in scare quotes.
But the letter does harm in calling LGBTQ+ merchandise obscene, validating debunked news reports, connecting the LGBTQ+ community with satanism, and hinting that selling the clothes could be considered “distribution of obscene matter” and be illegal.
Todd Rokita of Indiana wrote the letter, while Tim Griffin of Arkansas, Daniel Cameron of Kentucky, Andrew Bailey of Missouri, Raul Labrador of Idaho, Lynn Fitch of Mississippi and Alan Wilson of South Carolina, all signed in support.
In addition to repeating that it was “girls” swimsuits that were labeled as tuck friendly, the letter also wrongly accuses the retailer of selling “satanist material” from a designer named Abprallen. The designer shared in an Instagram post what was for sale in their Target collection:
Screenshot from Abprallen’s Instagram.
Screenshot from Abprallen’s Instagram.
There was a shirt that said “Cure Transphobia, Not Trans People,” a tote that said “Too Queer for Here” and a belt bag that said “We Belong Everywhere.” The last two had space themes with planets and spaceships on them, while the former had a one-snake Caduceus.
The Reuters article that the letter is using to support its claims says that Target was not selling Satanist material.
The letter also took Target to task for donating money to GLSEN, a nonprofit to create more LGBTQ friendly spaces in schools. The letter said it “furnishes resources to activists for the purpose of undermining parents’ constitutional and statutory rights by supporting ‘secret gender transitions of kids.’” This accusation comes from an article in The Daily Caller … you know, that “news” website that Tucker Carlson started that had to cut ties with several contributors when it came out that they were linked to white supremacists.
Anyway, the issue the AGs have with GLSEN is that it encourages teachers not to unwittingly out students to their parents by checking what pronouns and name the student goes by at home before talking to parents.
None of this is illegal, but the attorneys general whined about it anyway saying that the Pride campaign and financial support to GLSEN “not only raise concerns under our States’ child-protection and parental-rights laws but also against our States’ economic interests as Target shareholders.”
The letter goes on to explain that as a company, Target should be focused on making money, and the manufactured right wing outrage cost Target $12 billion, which is, of course, Target’s fault.
“It is likely more profitable to sell the type of Pride that enshrines the love of the United States,” Rokita opined. “Target’s Pride Campaign alienates whereas Pride in our country unites.” Yeah, try selling a bunch of MAGA-Lite Pro-America bullshit, Target. See what happens!
The letter concludes by accusing Target’s board of siding with activists who “aim to advance social goals by exposing Target’s valuable customer base, which includes families with young children across the country, to ‘LGBTQIA+’ concepts and values.” “They’re coming for your kids” — isn’t that the kind of language people use to justify genocide?
It’s not surprising that Andrew Bailey signed on to this harmful garbage, after all, he’s got no solutions for any actual problems facing Missouri, so he has to keep the culture wars spinning.
