Rep. Lauren Boebert from Colorado has joined conservatives' calls to boycott Target over its "tuck-friendly" swimsuits, which have sparked anger among some customers.
Target, the seventh largest retailer in the U.S., included the swimsuits in its seasonal collection of clothes for 2023's Pride season. Tuck-friendly clothes allow trans women who have not had a gender-affirming operation to conceal their private parts.
The item soon became hugely controversial, especially as many on social media falsely claimed the swimsuits were aimed at kids or were available in kids' sizes. Target later confirmed to the Associated Press that kids' swimsuits in the Pride collection did not include the "tuck-friendly" label. One kids' black swimskirt for sale at Target featured a tag reading: "Thoughtfully Fit on Multiple Body Types and Gender Expressions."
Social media users shared videos and images of the one-piece swimsuits—which have a bright pink, orange, green, and blue colorblock pattern—and black swim bottoms with colorful stitches featuring a tag that reads "Tuck-Friendly Construction" and "Extra Crotch Coverage."
Many critics have called for a boycott of the retailer, similar to demands made recently about Bud Light and Nike over sponsorship deals and promotional campaigns featuring trans advocates and influencers.
Bud Light suffered some sales losses between March and April, after conservatives accused the brand of betraying its core customers for offering a paid sponsorship deal to trans activist and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Boebert has supported calls to boycott Target next, sharing an article on Twitter which quoted a social media user saying that the retailer deserved "the Bud Light treatment."
"Why support woke corporations that hate you?" Boebert wrote on Twitter on Monday. "Target won't be getting another dollar from me."
Why support woke corporations that hate you?
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) May 22, 2023
Target won't be getting another dollar from me.https://t.co/HGO62Wfo03
Boebert's track record on LGBTQ+ rights shows the Colorado congresswoman to be sided with conservative Republicans who have recently pushed for a limitation of trans rights and trans youth access to gender-affirming health care and gendered bathrooms.
Since taking office, the Colorado congresswoman has introduced several anti-trans bills, including one that would have prevented federal money from funding research related to medical transition for minors. The bill did not move forward.
Boebert has repeatedly spoken out against LGBTQ+ friendly events such as Drag Queen Story Hour, a reading event where a drag artist reads books to children.
Her homophobic and transphobic tweets resurfaced after the 2022 shooting at Colorado LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q, with some accusing the Republican of having fed the environment of hate that led to the attack.
Boebert defended her anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, saying that she has "never had bad rhetoric towards anyone and their personal preferences as an adult."
"What I've criticized is the sexualization of our children. And I've criticized men dressing up as caricatures of women," she added.
Newsweek has contacted Boebert and Target's press teams for comment by email.
Update 5/24/23, 9:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add more details about the trans-friendly products on sale at Target as part of the company's Pride clothing collection.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
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