Target removing some LGBTQ merchandise following customer backlash

​Target, which rolled out its Pride Collection at the start of May, is pulling some products from stores after facing customer backlash, a company spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.

Target Corp is offering more than 2,000 products, including clothing, books, music and home furnishings as part of its Pride Collection. The items include "gender fluid" mugs, "queer all year" calendars and books for children aged 2-8 titled "Bye Bye, Binary," "Pride 1,2,3" and "I'm not a girl."

"The criticism has been widespread," Target spokesperson Kayla Castaneda told Reuters, calling the withdrawal of some products "adjustments."

"Folks are reaching out with feedback .. and while some are sharing it with constructive criticism, they disagree with product decisions that we made," she said.

Target has been celebrating Pride Month for a decade. But this year's collection has led to an increase in confrontations between customers and employees and incidents of Pride merchandise being thrown on the floor, Castaneda said, leading the company to review these products in the interest of employee safety.

While many of the products have gone unnoticed, some have garnered more attention than others. One of those is LGBTQ brand Abprallen, which has come undeCastaneda told Reuters that Target was removing Abprallen products as part of its review. A search for Abprallen merchandise on Target.com on Tuesday showed "0" results.

Screenshots and posts on social media show that Target previously sold a $25 slogan sweater with the words "cure transphobia not trans people" and an $18 "too queer for here" tote bag.

Target is also reviewing certain transgender swimsuits and children's merchandise as part of the review, Castaneda said. For example, a swimsuit sold in the women's section has come under scrutiny for the way its fit was described, as "tuck friendly," highlighted its ability to supposedly tuck male genitalia.

"Given these volatile circumstances, we are removing merchandise that is the target of (customer) ire," Castaneda said regarding the scrutiny for its association with British designer Eric Carnell.

Carnell has faced social media backlash for designing merchandise with images of pentagrams, horned skulls and other Satanic products.