Twilight star Rachelle Lefevre has spoken out against Target after the store decided to relocate its Pride displays.
After coming under fire from conservatives for displaying items in support of Pride month in June - such as 'tuck friendly' bathing suits - Target decided to re-shuffle where the display sits in its stores.
Rachelle Lefevre - whose child identifies as non-binary - has since slammed the retail corporation, accusing it of 'performative allyship'.
In a since-deleted video post to Instagram, the mum recalled walking into Target to find the display having been moved.
Advert
She continued: "I just walked into Target and where you see all these lovely swimsuits, that's where the Pride display used to be.
"I came in here two days ago and my seven-year-old, who’s non-binary, saw it and said, 'Look, Mom, it’s Pride! Look, they’re going to celebrate me.'
"I can’t bring them here anymore, at least for the entire month of June, because if they walk in, and all the other people who walk in and go, 'Where’d it go?' are going to realize that they are being successful in trying to erase them.
Advert
"We can do much better than this. We’re not supposed to negotiate with terrorists."
Fox News Digital reported an 'emergency meeting' was held by Target to discuss the Pride displays after they faced backlash online and employees faced threatening behaviour in-stores.
An employee alleged it was ruled at the meeting the chain would alter the location of its displays - moving them further back from the front of the stores - or make the displays smaller out of fear of a 'Bud Light situation'.
The 'Bud Light situation' refers to the backlash the drinks brand faced after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Advert
Some conservatives publicly denounced the brand - with Kid Rock uploading a video of himself shooting at cans of the beer - and sales plummeted.
CEO of Target Brian Cornell sent a letter to all employees of the chain on Wednesday 24 May.
Obtained by Insider, the letter noted the call to alter the Pride displays in stores was the result of 'many difficult days of deliberation and decision-making'.
Advert
"This has been a very hard day for Target," Cornell stated.
The Target insider told Fox News: "We were given 36 hours, told to take all of our Pride stuff, the entire section, and move it into a section that’s a third the size. From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage."
A statement released by Target in relation to its '2023 Pride Collection,' reads: "For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month. Since introducing this year's collection, we've experienced threats impacting our team members' sense of safety and well-being while at work.
"Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.
Advert
"Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year."
However, Lefevre argues LGBTQIA+ people are 'worth protecting' and 'fighting for' and so she believes Target should have hired additional security to combat any negative responses to the Pride display rather than altering or moving them.
Tyla has contacted Target for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence contact Mindline Trans+ on 0300 330 5468. The line is open 8pm–midnight Mondays and Fridays and is run by trans volunteers
Topics: Twilight, TV And Film, Celebrity, LGBTQ+, US News, Shopping
Poppy Bilderbeck