The culture war continues to incite anti-LGBTQ+ mobs to attack major brands and retailers -- and its latest victim is Kohl’s ((KSS)).
#BoycottKohls trended on Twitter on the morning of May 29 as consumers found the retailer selling Pride clothing. One of the biggest drivers of the outrage was Pride merchandise targeted for infants, including a onesie that showed people of color holding up a pride flag.
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Others have chimed in by using the hashtag to attack the rest of Kohl’s Pride Collection.
Kohl’s has been an avid supporter of the LGBTQ+ community for several years. Since 2019, the company has donated over $325,000 to the Trevor Project, an organization for suicide prevention aimed at LGBTQ+ youth.
The retailer is also one of Human Rights Campaign’s Best places to work for LGBTQ equality, a distinction it has held for three years running.
However, given the backlash that started in April when Bud Light ( (BUDFF) ) hired trans spokesperson Dylan Mulvaney, right-wing and anti-gay mobs have been empowered to attack all major brands promoting similar ideology.
Some other brands that have been targeted in recent weeks include: Miller Lite, which was attacked after a pro-women ad was revived earlier in the month; The Los Angeles Dodgers, who were accused by a Florida senator of being “anti-Catholic” after inviting a human rights group to its Pride month celebration; and Target, the most similar to Kohl’s after being attacked for selling Pride-positive clothing.
On the other side, brands have also used the publicity to their advantage, like EIGHT beer, owned by NFL Hall-of-Famer Troy Aikman, which has promoted its brand as one without “distractions.”
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