Despite massive backlash from its customers and investors and plummeting sales earlier in 2023, Target has doubled down on its DIE (Diversity Inclusion Equity) agenda. Target has hired Erik Thompson, who goes by GayCruella on social media, as its new “Senior (sexual minority) Segmentation Strategist and Pride Lead.”The new hire comes in the midst of Target’s DIE Christmas merchandise rollout, which includes Pride-themed nutcrackers, a Santa Claus holding a Pride flag wearing a shirt that reads “Love is Love” and a black Santa Claus in a wheelchair. .In May, Target’s stock dropped to its lowest point in three years after the company released transgender merchandise for children, with CEO Brian Cornell reporting a $9 billion loss, as per the Wall Street Journal. Cornell said the company made a lot of “emergency” phone calls that week with senior managers being directed to tone down the gender identity products. In September, Target announced there would be nine store closures across the US..Thompson has now set his account to private, but the description on his profile, urging followers to be their “best bad bitchy beautiful self and go rip that old world to shreds,” is still visible to the public. “Time to whip out the Glitter & Hellfire flamethrowers and rip that old world to shreds darlings," Thompson posted on his Instagram page to announce his new position, as per the Daily Wire. “Let’s flip that script and rewrite that narrative. This time for ~ALL Guests, ALL Humans & ALL Hearts.”In another post he wrote, “I Want to Make Art, Artie. And I Want to Make Trouble.”.Target’s new strategist has since taken down his LinkedIn page, but archives still show his bio, which states Thompson has worked for the company nearly 10 years.“On a mission to lead in the effort of working to flip the script and rewrite the narrative of CPG retail industries to better serve all consumer segments and thoughtfully & authentically cater to *ALL guests, ALL humans, & ALL hearts* who enter our stores and across the nation,” he had written in his bio, with hashtags #BlackLivesMatter, #TeamFeminism, #PrideforAll, #MentalHealthAwareness, and #DisabledAlly..On the now deleted page, Thompson had described his 2019 lead on the company’s “Pride Business & inclusivity strategy.”“To better serve our guests through diverse and inclusive collection offering, & remain as a loyal industry-leading leader within total Pride+ market, establishing brand love and credibility for total Target,” he wrote.
Despite massive backlash from its customers and investors and plummeting sales earlier in 2023, Target has doubled down on its DIE (Diversity Inclusion Equity) agenda. Target has hired Erik Thompson, who goes by GayCruella on social media, as its new “Senior (sexual minority) Segmentation Strategist and Pride Lead.”The new hire comes in the midst of Target’s DIE Christmas merchandise rollout, which includes Pride-themed nutcrackers, a Santa Claus holding a Pride flag wearing a shirt that reads “Love is Love” and a black Santa Claus in a wheelchair. .In May, Target’s stock dropped to its lowest point in three years after the company released transgender merchandise for children, with CEO Brian Cornell reporting a $9 billion loss, as per the Wall Street Journal. Cornell said the company made a lot of “emergency” phone calls that week with senior managers being directed to tone down the gender identity products. In September, Target announced there would be nine store closures across the US..Thompson has now set his account to private, but the description on his profile, urging followers to be their “best bad bitchy beautiful self and go rip that old world to shreds,” is still visible to the public. “Time to whip out the Glitter & Hellfire flamethrowers and rip that old world to shreds darlings," Thompson posted on his Instagram page to announce his new position, as per the Daily Wire. “Let’s flip that script and rewrite that narrative. This time for ~ALL Guests, ALL Humans & ALL Hearts.”In another post he wrote, “I Want to Make Art, Artie. And I Want to Make Trouble.”.Target’s new strategist has since taken down his LinkedIn page, but archives still show his bio, which states Thompson has worked for the company nearly 10 years.“On a mission to lead in the effort of working to flip the script and rewrite the narrative of CPG retail industries to better serve all consumer segments and thoughtfully & authentically cater to *ALL guests, ALL humans, & ALL hearts* who enter our stores and across the nation,” he had written in his bio, with hashtags #BlackLivesMatter, #TeamFeminism, #PrideforAll, #MentalHealthAwareness, and #DisabledAlly..On the now deleted page, Thompson had described his 2019 lead on the company’s “Pride Business & inclusivity strategy.”“To better serve our guests through diverse and inclusive collection offering, & remain as a loyal industry-leading leader within total Pride+ market, establishing brand love and credibility for total Target,” he wrote.
