Rapper Lil Nas X waded into the outrage over Target’s controversial sales of woke Pride Month apparel this week, trolling conservative ire over the retail giant’s offering “tuck-friendly” swimwear and LGBTQ-friendly clothing for infants.
In a Thursday tweet that has so far garnered more than 5.1 million views and hundreds of comments, the Grammy Award-winning rapper imitated a concerned parent: “Can’t believe Target is supporting this nonsense, im never shopping there again, my son is not ‘too cool for school’ these shirts are ridiculous. He is going to school and he WILL learn.”
Known for his queer lyrics, the gay musician is a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights.
He sent out a message of support last month to his LGBTQ fans in Saudi Arabia, where his song “Sun Goes Down” is a huge hit. “To my gays fans from Saudi Arabia reading this, I hope this song is getting you through whatever you’re going through and I hope someday soon the laws against us change and you can be free in your own home,” he tweeted
Why is Target facing backlash?
Target started to bring out items from their “LGBT Pride” collection in preparation for Pride Month in June.
Items from the collection include rainbow-colored onesies for infants and children and bathing suits with “tuck-friendly construction” and “extra crotch coverage.”
After seeing the collection, the public has compared this to the backlash Bud Light faced after its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Many critics have taken to social media to share their protest of the new collection, with some calling it “inappropriate” and “disturbing.”
SiriusXM podcast host Megyn Kelly and other commentators such as Tomi Lahren have warned that Target is at risk of losing business.
Target CEO Brian Cornell has dismissed the social media uproar, saying that products are good for business and “the right thing for society.”
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The Minneapolis-based retailer on May 23 told NBC News the company had “offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month” for more than a decade.
But since rolling out this year’s collection, “we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and wellbeing while at work.”
Target said it was reacting to “volatile circumstances” and removed some items from its LGBTQ Pride Collection following threats and confrontations in some of its shops.
In some states, Target, which has 2000 stores throughout the US, said it moved Pride-month merchandise to the back of the store.
The 2,000-item range of apparel includes T-shirts with rainbow motifs as well as a “tuck-friendly women’s swimsuit that allows adult trans women to hide their genitalia.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
