22 hours Ago By Russell Falcon
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday announced that the state has filed a class action lawsuit against Target claiming "the company knowingly misled and defrauded investors by concealing the financial risks of its radical LGBTQ activism."The lawsuit alleged the Minnesota-based retail giant knew its 2023 Pride campaign, in which it sold pieces of rainbow merchandise that sparked controversy, would cause its stock price to plummet, "violating federal law, defrauding its investors, and prioritizing radical activism over financial responsibility to shareholders," a news release from the attorney general's office said.
Florida streamer Destiny sued over cyber sexual harassment: court documentsThe suit was filed by the Florida State Board of Administration, the agency responsible for managing and investing the proceeds of the Florida Retirement System Pension Plan. In a video posted to X, Uthmeier claimed Target "put the retirement accounts of Florida's teachers and first responders at risk" and knew its stock could plummet as a result of the company's alleged efforts "to sexualize children."It's important to note here that Target's 2023 Pride collection did not feature "sexualized" clothing items for either children or adults — with the majority of items being geared toward adults.
Among the few items to be offered in children's sizes were a completely pink ankle-length tulle dress (displayed as being worn by a young girl) and featuring a small rainbow heart logo on the left side of the chest. Other items included were a tutu skirt in muted rainbow colors — which would not immediately register as even being from a Pride collection — and a baby jumper featuring a rainbow and the words "Be Kind."Moreover, Target Pride sections have never been included in kid's sections of stores and are instead either housed in the adult apparel section or in an independent display elsewhere in the stores.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 31: A young customer walks by a Pride Month merchandise display at a Target store on May 31, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Target has pulled some of its Pride Month merchandise from stores or have moved the seasonal displays to lesser seen areas of their stores to avoid conservative backlash that has threatened workers’ safety. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)AUSTIN, TEXAS - JUNE 06: Pride Month apparel is seen on display at a Target store on June 06, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
Businesses across the United States have begun advertising LGBTQIA+ apparel to mark this year's Pride Month. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Backlash against the Pride collection was also contributed to by pieces of misinformation about the collection that circulated on social media, including a debunked claim that Target was selling "tuck-friendly" swimsuits for kids, which it never has.Over the past few years, attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have included unfounded claims that members of the community are "sexualizing children" simply by being visible — an LGBTQ+ opposition tactic the Washington Post notes goes back to early 1920s Germany and which was proliferated in part by the work of American anti-gay crusader Anita Bryant.
The LGBTQ+ community has faced targeted accusations of “grooming” from some far-right and conservative groups, though the Anti-Defamation League notes the language is not used legitimately. “Instead, [anti-LGBTQ+ figures] imply or explicitly claim that LGBTQ+ people are pedophiles who are preying on children by discussing issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.”Have there been more plane crashes this year?In a statement, Uthmeier continued: “Corporations that push radical leftist ideology at the expense of financial returns jeopardize the retirement security of Florida’s first responders and teachers.
My office will stridently pursue corporate reform so that companies get back to the business of doing business — not offensive political theatre."The SBA is represented by Uthmeier and America First Legal, founded by White House deputy chief of staff and conservative political advisor Stephen Miller. This is the second America First Legal lawsuit accusing Target of committing securities fraud "by failing to disclose known risks of customer backlash to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) mandates.
"It's also important to note that prior to 2023, Target successfully released Pride collections for several consecutive years without incident. Additionally, while Target acknowledged lower sales after the 2023 Pride collection release, it also indicated that the creation of the collection itself wasn't the reason for the sales decline, rather the reaction and alleged boycott by those angered by it are what caused the slow sales quarter..
