Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, previously dismissed Americans’ concerns about corporations promoting LGBTQ+ rights.
Walz made the remarks in response to criticism from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) in 2023. Noem said in an interview a few days earlier that conservatives should think twice about shopping at Target following revelations that the chain had engaged in fraudulent practices. Donated It is scheduled to be donated in 2022 to the NDN Collective, a group that sees Mount Rushmore as an “international symbol of white supremacy” and seeks to remove it.
“I’m like many Americans,” Noem said. Said Fox & Friends That’s what I thought at the time: “We love shopping at Target, but we just can’t do it anymore.”
Walz responded to Noem’s comments during an MSNBC interview, speaking to host Jonathan Capehart.
“Where I live, the governor of a neighboring state claimed this week that a rainbow on a Target T-shirt destroys democracy. That’s nonsense. It’s just insane. I think most people in Minnesota would agree,” Walz said. SaidNoem’s purported response did not mention that Pride Month attire was not the specific source of Noem’s criticism.
But Waltz continued to use it to draw contrasts between himself and his more conservative neighbors.
“When you put people in office who are focused on improving lives rather than bashing woke corporations, you get real results,” Walz said.
The fact that he immediately pointed to those concerned about woke corporate LGBTQ+ promotion, even though Noem didn’t focus on that point in her specific remarks, is even more meaningful because it shows how Walz really feels about Americans who are tired of having a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda forced on them and their children.
Moreover, in 2023, when Waltz made his comments, Target was under intense scrutiny not just for its rainbow shirts, but for its partnership with U.K.-based designer Abralen, whose shirts feature slogans like “Satan loves you” and “Satan respects pronouns.”
At the time, Breitbart News reported:
The man behind the brand is a transgender gay man (a biological woman attracted to men) and a Satanist, who pays homage to the demonic figure Baphomet. Assert “The Devil Respects Pronouns.” The design was not offered in Target stores, but the company offered two designs from its designers.Don’t cure transphobia, cure transgender peopleThe tote bag has the words “Too weird hereSen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) was among those criticizing Target’s decision to pursue the policy.
Target eventually pulled apparel associated with the designer after receiving a lot of backlash.
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said it was “outrageous” that people were outraged that Target partnered with a “Satanic” designer to promote transgender products for children and donated millions of dollars to a group that pushed to close Mount Rushmore. pic.twitter.com/VR1jih1U1Q
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 11, 2023
But that wasn’t the end of LGBTQ+ controversy at Target in 2023. The company also offered a range of Pride-themed items for kids and babies, as well as transgender swimwear for adults that was “tuck-friendly” and had “light binding” effects. Perhaps even worse, some of the children’s apparel in Target’s Pride section openly promoted a radical transgender agenda, labeling some items as “thoughtfully fitting” for what it described as “multiple” gender expressions.
It’s unclear whether Walz thinks people who raise concerns about these things, including Target’s Pride division, which once pushed a transgender agenda on children, are also “insane.”
