Target has also organized various committees within the corporation to support LGBTQ+ employees and the community overall.īut the retailer has come a long way in the ways that it works with LGBTQ+ talent. In Target’s case, it has donated a total of $2 Million to GLSEN, an organization dedicated to making education safe for LGBTQ+ students, over the span of 11 years. Identifying rainbow-washing isn’t always easy. Warde pointed out that working behind the scenes at a large company is usually an anonymous job.Ī Florida State study calls the disconnect between Pride merchandise and authentic allyship “rainbow-washing.” This performative activism is a newer marketing technique where brands appeal to the LGBTQ+ community through their merchandise without investing in the community itself. Even so, Target’s Pride merchandise did not resonate with LGBTQ+ consumers. Target has its Pride+ Business Council, a diverse group of team members from a variety of backgrounds and teams within Target that collaborate with the merchandising team for Pride month. “I wanted to contribute my style and perspective,” said Warde.
One of the artists, Kaelin “Bird” Warde, co-founder of retail brand Camp Mustelid, said that Target’s backlash “was a big reason I wanted to participate.”
For the first time, Target partnered with brands and designers outside of the company for exclusive Pride Month collection collaborations,” a Target spokesperson told Glossy via email. “This year’s collection was created in partnership with LGBTQIA+ designers, entrepreneurs and Target team members, in order to authentically represent and celebrate the community, its culture and intersectionality.
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