Red State Attorneys Genital Threaten Target, Demand It Stop Being So Obscenely Gay

Excellent use of state legal resources, idiots.

In a disturbing example of not just government overreach but near-illiteracy among Republican officeholders, seven attorneys general from red states sent a scary letter to the CEO of Target to warn the big-box retailer that the mere fact that it sold Pride-themed merchandise in June might somehow violate those states' laws against "obscenity," saying gay, and providing gender-affirming healthcare to minors. The letter originated with Indiana AG Todd Rokita, and cited numerous mostly fake claims in rightwing media to suggest that Target was doing sex crimes to minors simply by selling onesies with rainbow flags on them.

Previously!

 Wingnuts Having A Good Old-Fashioned Satanic Panic About ... Target 

 Target Gives The Terrorists What They Want 

 Give This Hero Target Employee A Whopping Raise And Reserved Parking Please 

We have to admit we're a little curious whether folks in Target's legal department laughed out loud at the letter, or simply rolled their eyes. It's clearly intended to intimidate, but doesn't attempt to specify any legal consequences the company might face. Rokita and the other six AGs may be idiots who want to bully LGBTQ people and get on Fox News, but they presumably have enough sense not to make a specific legal threat that could result in a lawsuit against them. For that matter, it doesn't even tell the company to stop selling Pride merch in kids' sizes.

In addition to Rokita, the letter is signed by Republican AGs Tim Griffin of Arkansas, Raul Labrador of Idaho, Daniel Cameron of Kentucky, Lynn Fitch of Mississippi, Andrew Bailey of Missouri, and Alan Wilson of South Carolina, all of whom should probably be investigated by their state bar associations for promoting lies and generally signing their names to stupid letters.

Instead, the letter says the AGs are "concerned" about Target's "promotion and sale of potentially harmful products to minors, related potential interference with parental authority in matters of sex and gender identity," and, for good measure, the possibility that Target is failing its "fiduciary duties" by selling controversial stuff and thereby harming its stock value in the pursuit of that ol' radical LGBTQ agenda. Rokita's letter sure tries to sound intimidating, at least, warning that

State child-protection laws penalize the “sale or distribution . . . of obscene matter.” A matter is considered “obscene” if “the dominant theme of the matter . . . appeals to the prurient interest in sex,” including “material harmful to minors.” Indiana, as well as other states, have passed laws to protect children from harmful content meant to sexualize them and prohibit gender transitions of children.

We should note here that Target does not sell puberty blockers or hormone treatments over the counter, although it does carry plush toy unicorns with rainbow horns, which is practically the same thing.

Then the letter plunges into a mix of fact and outright lies, and because we love our readers, we will point out the difference. The letter says Target "wittingly marketed and sold LGBTQIA+ promotional products to families and young children" (just as General Mills "wittingly markets" breakfast cereals aimed at promoting Leprechaun fetishism), and that some of the items included "LGBT-themed onesies, bibs, and overalls." We are now mostly done with the reality-based portion of the letter.

The list then starts blithely conflating items sold in kids' sizes and those for adults, singling out a "Pride Adult Drag Queen 'Katya' Short Sleeve T-Shirt - Pink" that's only sold online (at least now), and says "adult" right there in the item description. There's also a supposedly dangerous shirt saying "Girls Gays Theys" that's been removed from the Target site; it too was listed only in adult sizes. Just look at the obscenity and appeal to prurient interest!

The letter went even further afield into rightwing disinfo, claiming that Target also sold "tuck friendly" girls' swimsuits, never mind that the trans-friendly swimwear was only available in grownup sizes. (And never mind that Rokita's letter deems it obscene to have "extra crotch coverage" instead of less .) It also claims that Target carried "merchandise by the self-declared 'Satanist-Inspired' brand Abprallen," because how dare anyone make fun of satanic panic? As anyone who's followed the story closely knows, none of that stuff was sold at Target, a fact mentioned in the very Reuters story that Rokita idiotically cites as "evidence" that Target was selling "Satanic products."

 Here's what the Reuters piece says:

The backlash targeted Abprallen products that were not sold at Target, such as a design featuring the slogan "Satan Respects Pronouns" and a horned ram representing Baphomet - a half-human, half-animal deity that is both male and female.

Commentators falsely claimed that this design was being sold at Target.

Rokita's version gets it exactly backwards, or upside-down, like a Satanic cross you know:

Target also sold products with antiChristian designs, such as pentagrams, horned skulls, and other Satanic products. One such design included the phrase “Satan Respects Pronouns” with a horned ram representing Baphomet—a half-human, half-animal, hermaphrodite worshiped by the occult.

Is there some kind of law against attorneys general just sending out stupid lies with their signature on it? For what it's worth, the Indiana Capitol Journal notes , alleged images of kids wearing Target's nasty pentagrams and skulls were AI-generated. 

The letter also gripes that Target donates to "an organization called GLSEN (pronounced 'glisten')," and we swear we are not making that up, because obviously it's a group devoted to hot white cum and also probably oiled-up shirtless men like you'd find in a Ron DeSantis video. In mere reality, the Gay Straight Lesbian Education Network advocates for safe and inclusive schools, but because it suggests that schools respect trans teens' privacy, the letter says, the group actually supports "secret gender transitions for kids," in the words of the legal journal Rokita cites, the Daily Caller.

On top of all the other lies, the letter suggests that Target could be in big but very nonspecific trouble for maybe losing stock value due to all the rightwing hate and panic aimed at the company last month, which the letter hints might somehow violate the law by putting a political agenda ahead of pursuing profits for shareholders. The AGs even have some friendly advice for Target: Please be patriots, not gay homosexuals.

It is likely more profitable to sell the type of Pride that enshrines the love of the United States. Target’s Pride Campaign alienates whereas Pride in our country unites.

Rokita even offered a patriotic press release aimed at bringing America together in opposition to trans people, who are clearly not American even.

“Transanity doesn’t sell,” Rokita said in a press release. “Let’s all unite around pride in America instead of falling into the trap of dividing along lines of identity politics.”

The nastygram isn't so much a legal document as it is a publicity stunt, and by golly, the AGs' brave stunt landed favorable coverage at Fox Business,   Newsmax (which just reran the Fox story, talk about lazy), the Murdoch Post, and other wingnut media outlets, as well as coverage in local and national media, some of it skeptical, some sadly not at all. 

Hats off — probably really flamboyant hats with feathers and glitter — to the Indiana Capitol Chronicle for pointing out that Rokita is way outside his lane:

The Attorney General does not prosecute criminal cases involving obscenity and nothing in state law governing the office references parental rights.

That's probably Target's fault too, the end.

[ Indiana Capital Chronicle / Letter from AGs to Target / Erin in the Morning ]

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