Montana trans lawmaker Zooey Zephyr lashes out at Target’s decision to pull Pride merch for kids

When asked about companies facing backlash for promoting Pride collections, many of which include clothing for children, Zephyr, who recently became engaged to trans activist Erin Reed at Missoula’s queer prom, said LGBTQ people can’t "take our identities off the shelf."

"So when bills come before the legislature, they always get talked about as if they’re narrowly focused. This is just about sports. This is just about you. This is just about a book," said Zephyr.

"But what we see in moments like this is the people who support anti-trans legislation, anti-LGBTQ legislation aren’t just after that, they don’t want to see LGBTQ people happy or thriving in stores, in our communities and will get very angry at the sight of us on a Sports Illustrated issue.

"And to me, if you’re a corporation and you’re seeing a sliver of what it’s like for LGBTQ people who can’t decide to take our identities off the shelf, that’s why it’s more important now than ever to make sure you are standing alongside us throughout this," Zephyr added.

In May, Target held an emergency meeting to address backlash to their June Pride month display, which includes items such as "tuck-friendly" bathing suits and babies' onesies. Managers and district senior directors in some locations were told to downsize and move their displays to the back of the store in order to avoid a "Bud Light situation."

The Daily Mail stated that Target has lost $14 billion in value as conservatives continue to boycott the company, which comes on the heels of an ongoing boycott against Bud Light in the wake of its partnership with transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney. As of May 31st, Target’s shares went from $74 billion to nearly $62 billion in just two weeks.

Bud Light sales dropped 23.6 percent during the week of May 6, compared to the previous year. The week ending April 29, sales declined 23.3 percent, which shows that Bud Light sales remain on a steady decline."