"As long as they're not targeting kids": Walmart pride merchandise remains in stores amid mass boycott drive 

Walmart has announced that they will not be withdrawing their Pride merchandise amid rising boycott calls. Its competitor Target has announced that they will be removing certain items from their LGBTQ collection after facing immense backlash. Meanwhile, the former’s customers have taken to social media to express outrage over their LGBTQ-friendly products.

Walmart’s chief merchandising officer, Latriece Watkins said in a statement on Wednesday announcing:

"We have merchandise that we sell all year that supports different groups. In this particular case, we haven’t changed anything in our assortment. In this particular case, we think about security… we have not done anything in particular differently related to security in our stores."

This month, Walmart CEO Doug McMillion also commented that the American retail corporation is not interested in making political statements with their merchandise. He said:

"Walmart doesn’t wake up in the morning wanting to go and make social and political statements. We’re retailer. We want everybody to feel comfortable shopping with us… and we want everybody to feel comfortable and excited about working at Walmart."

Meanwhile, Twitter user @joncoopertweets took to the social networking site to share an image of Pride merchandise at a store outlet. He also wrote in the tweet:

"Hey, homophobic MAGA lowlifes- let’s see you boycott THAT!!"

A netizen responded to the same by saying that they do not have any issues with the products as long as they do not cater to children.

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Walmart garners backlash for LGBTQ collection amid their latest announcement

As the retail giant claims that they do not plan to remove their Pride collection, conservative customers have criticized them for the merchandise. Many announced that they do not plan to shop at their stores anymore. A few reactions to the Pride collection read:

Walmart’s Pride collection includes products from several designers from the LGBTQ community including Bianca Negron, Ink Meets Paper, Anna Vos and Lee Zalben amongst others. Some of the products under their pride collection read- "Gay is Okay," "Totes gay," "The future is inclusive" and "GAY PWR." It is important to note that these products are not being solely sold during Pride month alone.

The backlash comes in the midst of the ongoing criticism against Target. They came under fire after it was assumed that they were selling “tuck-friendly” clothing to children however, the same has been fact checked since. Their other Pride merchandise also left conservatives livid. The American retail corporation has reportedly seen their stock lose a whopping $13.8 billion as of Wednesday as the boycott continues.

Several brands have garnered criticism for supporting the LGBTQ community following the now-infamous Bud Light Dylan Mulvaney collaboration. The beer giant partnered with the transgender influencer to celebrate her “365 days of girlhood” series. Conservative customers were livid and were quick to boycott the brand. Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser Busch went on to see a massive dip in sales.

Subsequently, other companies including Kohl’s, Build A Bear, Nike, Adidas, The North Face and Coach have also garnered backlash for supporting the LGBTQ community.