It can often seem like media coverage over trans ideology is excessive. The issue of transgender ideology – the claim that every person has a ‘gender’ that may not align with their biological sex (and that this can be altered with hormones or surgery), or that gender may be fluid and change from hour to hour – now makes it into news headlines daily and without fail.
I’m often tempted to think we should stop giving such micro-niche activism our time and energy.
As repetitive as it can be to constantly enter into a discourse about something which, quite frankly, seems like utter nonsense to very many of us, the truth is that the persistence with which the issue appears in the media evidences how transgenderism is at the very root of our culture war. We cannot run from it.
We have been inserted into a battle which we had no say in, but which now permeates so many areas, from our workplaces to our schools and the places we go to socialise. It’s no longer an option not to take a side.
On Wednesday, it emerged that Target, one of the biggest retailers in the US, will remove some of its LBGTQ+ themed merchandise from its ‘Pride Month’ collection following an avalanche of customer backlash over the last week.
In a statement, the company said it was pulling a number of products which were part of the collection released ahead of June 1st.
Target spokesperson Kayla Castaneda was forced to admit that that the collection targeted at children and other items had led to merchandise being thrown to the floor by customers.
Notably though, rather than acknowledging the anger the collection produced from concerned parents’, Target seemed to take aim at those who expressed concern. Rather than circling back, it doubled down.
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and wellbeing while at work,” the company said in a prickly 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,” the Minneapolis-based retailer said.
Yet, it’s not the first time that pushing transgenderism by retailers has caused fallout.
Bud Light is still grappling with the disastrous repercussions of its recent partnership with trans actor and campaigner Dylan Mulvaney. The controversy, which is nearing its third month, has seen sales of Bud Light still continue to freefall.
Per data cited by the beverage industry trade publication Beer Business Daily, sales volumes of Bud Light for the week ending May 13 dropped 28.4%, signalling an extension of a downward trend from the 27.7% decrease in sales the previous week.
The demise of Bud Light, in the eyes of some commentators, has shown that annoyance with the brand has extended beyond those with conservative values.
The chances are that while some care enormously about pushing back against the idea that someone born a man can be a woman when he chooses, most people probably do not care very much about this issue, and don’t want to have the conversation – so they won’t buy the beer.
A lot of people are alienated by a culture war which is deepening because of the actions of powerful figures in the world of advertising and politics and media. Most people want to get on with their lives, but are constantly being pulled into taking a side in a war of ideology propagated by corporate giants.
We are being forced to subscribe, and face opprobrium or even risk being cancelled if we do not do so. People don’t like that.
According to reports, the Target boycott has already shaved off more than 8 billion dollars in company value – which is double the $4 billion lost by Bud Light in the first week of its boycott (the company has now lost $10 billion in value). This could be seen as surprising, because as many US shoppers have said, boycotting family favourite Target is harder than boycotting Bud Light.
On May 17, Target had a $74.29 billion market cap
As of today, it’s now $65.95B
You know what that means?
The Target Satanic Groomer boycott has already shaved off more than **$8 BILLION** in company value
Bud Light only lost $4 Billion the 1st week, so this is twice as bad! pic.twitter.com/KZCnmATykC
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) May 24, 2023
One wife and mother, Kaylee Campbell Layton, took to TikTok to share a video of her trip to the retailer and the products it had for sale.
In the video, which was removed from Instagram for ‘hateful ideology,’ she could be seen browsing the Pride section aimed at children. Campbell Layton holds a pride-themed baby’s onesie up to the camera, along with cards, found in the children’s section which include the greetings, ‘I’m so happy that you’re queer’ and ‘I’m glad you came out’.
“In the kid’s section? Are you kidding me?” the exasperated TikToker says in the clip, which has been viewed millions of times.
She then films children’s swimwear which features a tag which reads ‘Thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions’, complete with the pink and blue trans flag. Another piece of clothing carries the label ‘Pride toddler leggings’ prompting the mother to declare, “I’m sorry, but ‘pride’ and ‘toddler’ don’t belong in the same sentence,”
https://twitter.com/thekayleec/status/1660315881900224512?s=20
She went on to find an swimsuit marked ‘xtra small’ in the kids section which was sold with a tag advertising its “light binding effect” with bottoms which say they feature “tuck friendly construction”.
A ‘binding effect’ is a pitch for clothing which compresses breasts to make girls look more like boys. ‘Tuck-friendly’ swimwear is constructed to hold the penis in a bathing suit typically designed for women.
“They’re giving it to your kids,” she says. “If that doesn’t give you a reason to boycott Target, I don’t know what does, but this s**t’s getting out of hand. They’re targeting children, whether you like it or not, and it’s time that people actually do something about it, because if they don’t,, then guess what – that s**t won’t just be in Target, it’ll be in every store, ever.”
Campbell Layton claims she has had her entire account taken down over the video, which surpassed 10 million views.
Campbell Layton’s claim was fact checked by Associated Press, who said the swimwear was an extra-small adult size and was only featured in the adult section in Target’s website.
While Target has, for years, been a leader in the corporate LGBT Pride race, many with Conservative beliefs have been willing to look past the store’s rainbow-coloured displays. The retail giant, which sells everything from clothing to groceries to household electronics offers a level of affordability and convenience which is hard for families to pass by.
The clincher for Target, this time though, was that it came for the wrong people – children, and it dared mess with the wrong demographic – mothers.
Campbell Layton’s video has driven backlash against the company, and female conservative commentators including Candance Owens and Allie Beth Stuckey, also mothers, have joined the pushback.
We all know that women united are a powerful force to be reckoned with, and none more so than mothers protecting their children. The fact Target has had to pull these products, and is facing a boycott from many US families, has shown the strength of feeling from parents when it comes to corporations pushing trans ideology on children.
In addition, the collection features bibs for babies with phrases including “I am proud of you always,” pride coloured sandals, and a range of pride gear for children as young as two with phrases like, “I’m not a girl,” as per images from the store’s website of many of the products which have now been pulled:
People have been happy to overlook virtue-signalling marketing and branding when it comes to promoting products for adults – but it is clear that when that marketing might impact on kids, they’re tapping out.
The boycott of brands like Target may be evidence of a growing unease regading the impact of transgenderism on children and teens.
Even in Ireland, which is awash with this ideology, top doctors have said that gender affirmation approaches can be dangerous, and that our HSE has been “brainwashed” by trans activists to ignore the risks.
While the average person may be afraid to speak critically for fear of causing offence, there can be little doubt that a huge number of normal people feel projecting this ideology onto children is harmful and wrong. Those of us who read the news can see that things have accelerated to the point of madness.
The boycott of Bud Light and now Target shows that it is now less of a fringe position, and more of a mainstream one.
People are sick and tired of being told they must not only support, but actively participate in an ideology which turns science and human dignity on its head. Above all though, they are fed up with being told that their children must participate, too.
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