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Lil Nas X Mocks Ridiculous Backlash Against Target Pride Merch
Homophobes are out in full force, and yes, they sound this stupid.
The homophobic backlash against Target offering LGBTQ-themed merchandise for Pride is, at its core, absolutely absurd—something Lil Nas X recently drew attention to with a tweet mocking the controversy.
The retail giant recently decided to stop selling certain Pride merchandise and move displays at some stores across the country to the back, caving to bigots who went around threatening employees, throwing products on the ground, and spewing lies on social media, allegedly in the name of protecting the children.
One major point of ire among homophobic conservatives who can’t stand the idea that people they hate aren’t actively being run out of society is that Target has been selling Pride clothing in children’s sizes. These are innocuous items that feature rainbows and messages like “Be Kind” and “Be Proud,” despite an online campaign falsely alleging the retailer was selling tuck-friendly bathing suits aimed at children.
Lil Nas appeared to take aim at the lack of critical thinking it takes to get this angry over the ability of people to buy rainbow clothing for their kids just because you, personally, don’t like it, with a tweet last week.
“can’t believe target is supporting this nonsense, im never shopping there again,” he wrote. “my son is not ‘too cool for school’ these shirts are ridiculous. he is going to school and he WILL learn.”
\u201ccan\u2019t believe target is supporting this nonsense, im never shopping there again, my son is not \u201ctoo cool for school\u201d these shirts are ridiculous. he is going to school and he WILL learn.\u201d— pussy (@pussy) 1685039892
The rapper himself has frequently been the target of the same performative outrage from conservatives, having previously dealt with them campaigning against him for everything from his aggressively queer music videos to his hilarious Satan shoes. So it’s no surprise he’s already learned to deal with the nonsense by simply highlighting how ridiculous it is and having a laugh at their expense.
Still, the extremism on display is disturbing—particularly in the greater context of the anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns and bills currently sweeping the United States. And Target’s willingness to capitulate to these threats is already empowering the bigots to move on to the next corporation that dares acknowledge Pride.
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Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
