Multiple Target stores across the U.S. have received bomb threats from LGBTQ+ terrorists in recent days, apparently over the retail giant’s decision to remove some of its Pride Month merchandise.
Over the weekend, Target stores located in Oklahoma, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Louisiana, Ohio, Utah, and Pennsylvania received bomb threats that mirrored those made previously in Ohio, Utah and Pennsylvania, according to the Washington Post.
Messages sent in Lafayette, La. allegedly said Target “betrayed the LGBTQ+ community” and “are pathetic cowards who bowed to the wishes of far right extremists who want to exterminate us.”
In most instances, the extremists emailed the threats to local news outlets, the Post reported. The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force have reportedly been assisting with the investigation in some of the jurisdictions.
An email sent to Oklahoma City TV station KFOR on Saturday afternoon listed seven locations in and around the area, starting the message with “we are going play a game” and ending it with “4/19/1995” — the date of the Oklahoma City bombing. The email claimed two of the seven Target stores had bombs.
Several news outlets notified the Oklahoma City police of the threats, police department spokesman Gary Knight said in a statement. After the stores were evacuated as a precaution, police did not find any suspicious items, he said.
Last month, Target stores removed some of the products from its Pride collection, and in some areas, moved their LGBTQ+ “PRIDE” display—which includes gay pride apparel, books and toys for infants and children—to the back of the store. The company said in a statement that those actions were taken to keep their employees safe from “confrontational” customers.
Conservative comedian and provocateur Alex Stein 99, for instance, filmed himself modeling one of Target’s “tuck-friendly” bathing suits after trying it on in the store’s dressing room.
“I love the tuck-friendly bathing suit, it hides all of it!” Stein gushed to the female employees working outside the dressing room.
According to a USA Today report on May 26, stores in Ohio, Utah, and Pennsylvania received a threat that stated: “Target is full of cowards who turned their back on the LGBT community and decided to cater to the homophobic right wing redneck bigots who protested and vandalized their store.”
Multiple media outlets reported on the Target threats Tuesday, however, in carefully worded headlines, they implied that the threats were coming from the right over the “Pride controversy.” Washington Post reporter Jaclyn Peiser did not clarify what the threatening messages actually said until the eighth paragraph of her story.
The media wants you to believe that a right wing terrorist sent bomb threats to target.
The bomb threats actually came from an LGBTQ activist who was upset that target REMOVED some pride items.
You would never know that from the headlines though! https://t.co/B2LhchtZOG pic.twitter.com/qwebmc71tF
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 13, 2023
The LGBTQ+ community have been up in arms since Target decided to push its pride merch to the back of some of its stores, and remove certain items completely. According to Fox News, the Human Rights Campaign recently sent a letter with 200 signatories to Target Corporation demanding “an apology for insulting the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month and for the retail giant to reinstate the items.”
Target Corp. has reportedly lost more than $15 billion in market value since the Pride controversy began.