Target Faces Conservative Backlash And Florida Lawsuit Over DEI

Target's DEI efforts has the retailer facing heat from conservatives and liberals.

While many are bashing Target for dropping its DEI initiatives, conservatives in Florida are claiming the retail giant didn’t roll them back fast enough. Target is now facing a lawsuit from conservatives for the time it spent supporting the movement.

On Feb. 20, the state of Florida sued Target on accusations the mega-retailer concealed the financial risks tied to its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and 2023 Pride Month merchandise collection, Forbes reports. The lawsuit alleges that Target misled investors about the risks associated with its 2023 Pride merchandise line, which the retailer cited as a contributing factor to the company’s first sales decline in seven years.

The State Board of Administration of Florida, which oversees the state’s public pension funds and is chaired by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, filed the lawsuit in a Florida federal court in partnership with the conservative America First Legal Foundation. Target’s LGBTQ Pride merchandise line triggered conservative boycotts two years ago.

During an August 2023 earnings call, Target acknowledged the “strong reaction” to its Pride collection as a reason to “pause, adapt, and learn.” However, analysts claimed the drop in sales was also due to inflation.

Now, the state of Florida’s lawsuit against Target calls out the Pride collection for being “exceptionally offensive” and “extreme.” It points out a tuck-friendly swimsuit for transgender women—which sparked controversy in 2023 amid false claims that it was available in children’s sizes—and apparel from the British brand Abprallen, known for using Satanic imagery in some designs, though not in the products sold at Target.

The lawsuit is the latest conservative challenge to corporate DEI initiatives and follows Target’s recent decision to scale back some of its DEI policies amid mounting pressure from the right and Donald Trump’s executive orders against DEI efforts in the private sector. As Target faces lawsuits from the right, it’s being boycotted by the left in response to its reversal of DEI initiatives.

Among those speaking out against Target’s decision are civil rights groups and the heirs of one of the retailer’s founders, all urging the company to uphold its long-standing commitment to diversity.