7 Republican Attorneys General Probe Target’s ‘Obscene’ LGBTQ+ Pride Merchandise
Author: Christopher Wiggins
Seven Republican attorneys general, including Todd Rokita of Indiana, wrote a letter to Target CEO Brian Cornell expressing concerns over the company’s Pride merchandise.Some Republican states tried to ban drag performances in public in the lead-up to Pride Month. Some of those measures were signed into law, but courts have intervened.
Independent journalist and LGBTQ+ rights activist Erin Reed explains, “Lacking legislation that specifically declares content such as Target’s Pride line as obscene, some state attorneys general may turn to interpreting old obscenity laws as including LGBTQ+ content.”
Last month, a coalition of 15 state attorneys general also wrote to Target offering support for the retailer against anti-LGBTQ+ threats and calling on the company to stand by the LGBTQ+ community in the face of that intimidation.
“As Attorneys General with a strong commitment to protecting the civil rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals, we write to express our resolute and unequivocal support for the LGBTQIA+ community as well as our concern regarding recent events in Target stores involving intimidation and destruction of certain Pride-related merchandise and Target’s resulting decision to remove some Pride merchandise from its stores,” began the letter, also addressed to Target CEO Brian Cornell.
“We stand ready to help address anti-LGBTQIA+ threats and harassment in Target stores,” it continues, but goes on to note the many political attacks on the community. “Against this backdrop, Pride merchandise like Target’s helps LGBTQIA+ people see that they enjoy considerable support and that loud and intimidating fringe voices and bullies do not represent the views of society at large.”
The coalition was led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. AGs from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington State signed on to that letter.
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Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Christopher Wiggins
