Ahead of Pride month, Target has partnered with Abprallen, an LGBT+ fashion company that sells merchandise with images of pentagrams, horned skulls, and other Satanic products, including pins and tee-shirts that say “Satan Respects Pronouns.”
The London-based company was founded by a self-proclaimed “gay, transgender man” who goes by “Erik.”
Abprallen announced its partnership with Target in an Instagram post on May 9, noting that Target approached the Satan-friendly company to “design a range for pride.” The collaboration has been in the works with the retail giant for about a year.
“This has been so hard to keep quiet but I can now proudly announce that you can buy Abprallen in US Targets! Part one of the range includes a messenger bag, a tote, and a sweatshirt!,” Erik wrote.
I imagined what it would be like for a younger version of myself to see something more specific, more tailor made than a lacklustre rainbow flag. I wanted to create a range that would embrace younger me and tell him that who he is is more than OK, that being trans is special and wonderful and that the closet is not made for him to thrive in.
I am truly excited about this, and having to keep quiet about it for nearly a year has been incredibly hard! So I’m stoked to finally be able to talk about it! Please tag me if you buy anything or when you see my stuff in stores, I’d be so honoured and excited to see! (And I’ll give you a discount code as thanks!)
Target’s Abprallen collection includes a “Too Queer for Here” tote bag, a fanny pack that reads “we belong everywhere” and an adult “Cure Transphobia” tee-shirt.
On it’s website, Abprallen sells pins that say “Trans Witches for Abortion,” “Bisexual Witch,” “Heteronormativity” is a plague,” Burn Down the Cis-Tem,” and “Bury Cis Feelings.”
Erik on IG: “This has been so hard to keep quiet but I can now proudly announce that you can buy Abprallen in US Targets! Part one of the range includes a messenger bag, a tote, and a sweatshirt!”
"So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBTQIA+ people." pic.twitter.com/bOB7UKBfYZ
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) May 21, 2023
Abprallen also sells a “homophobe headrest” pin in the shape of a guillotine and a pin that reads, “Poppers Open Your Third Eye.” That pin depicts an occult image of the all-seeing eye enclosed in a triangle. “Poppers,” according to an Urban Dictionary definition, are inhalants that are used by members of the LGBTQ community to add to their sexual pleasure. The Amyl Nitrate is sniffed, giving the user “a short term head rush high.”
“Satan loves you and respects who you are; you’re important and valuable in this world and you deserve to treat yourself with love and respect. LGBT+ people are so often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God’s will, so fine. We’ll hang with Satan instead,” the company stated in another Instagram caption. “Satanists don’t actually believe in Satan, he is merely used as a symbol of passion, pride, and liberty. He means to you what you need him to mean. So for me, Satan is hope, compassion, equality, and love.”
So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBT+ people. I went with a variation of Baphomet for this design, a deity who themself is a mixture of genders, beings, ideas, and existences. They reject binary stereotypes and expectations. Perfect.
Baphomet is the perfect symbol for the trans cult, as the Demon Deity is depicted as half male and half female.
“Being called a demon is something I can cope with, and the idea of a trans demon is pretty damn cool, most of my work focusses on gothic or dark and satanic imagery juxtaposed with bright colours and LGBT+ positive messages,” Abprallen wrote in a separate Instagram post featuring another depiction of Baphomet.
Target has pulled out all the stops to celebrate LGBTQ+ behavior ahead of Pride Month. In addition to its partnership with a trans Satanist, the retailer is promoting a line of clothing that is meant to accommodate the trans community, including women’s swimsuits that provide “extra crotch coverage” or “tuck-friendly construction” for men who identify as women.
Some of the pro-LGBTQ clothing are specifically marketed towards children and babies, prompting critics accuse Target of “indoctrinating and grooming” kids with LGBTQ ideology.
Target’s “PRIDE” book collection is also geared toward young people with titles such as, “A Quick and Easy Guide to Sex & Disability,” “Dragging Mason County,” “Love Makes a Family,” “If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It,” “The Pronoun Book,” “Bye Bye, Binary,” and “The Rainbow Parade.”