Less than a year after watching their sales and stocks drop, Target has reportedly hired a man who goes by “Gay Cruella” as their “Senior LGBTQIA+ Segmentation Strategist and Pride Lead.”
“Gay Cruella,” whose real name is Erik Thompson, announced that he will be leading “Target’s LGBTQIA+ multicultural merchandising strategy and Pride businesses” in a post on Instagram.
Thompson’s social media says he uses “he/him/his/her” pronouns.
The hire was flagged by the popular Libs of TikTok account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Remember when @Target sold tucking swimwear for kids and their sales dropped, stock plunged, and they were sued by shareholders?” LoTT wrote. “Apparently they didn’t learn their lesson cuz they just hired an LGBTQ activist to lead their ‘LGBTQIA+ multicultural merchandising strategy and pride businesses’ who’s already threatening to ‘make trouble’ after laughing about the backlash Target received.”
Remember when @Target sold tucking swimwear for kids and their sales dropped, stock plunged, and they were sued by shareholders?
Apparently they didn’t learn their lesson cuz they just hired an LGBTQ activist to lead their “LGBTQIA+ multicultural merchandising strategy and pride… pic.twitter.com/wDZW7hshKi
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 15, 2023
In the post announcing his new position, Thompson wrote, “I want to make art, Artie. And I want to make trouble,” a line from Disney’s 2021 live-action Cruella.
Breitbart News reports:
Libs of TikTok also pointed out another social media post by Thompson, in which he tagged “Target Corporate Headquarters,” and wrote, “I want to make trouble.”
“Time to whip out the Glitter & Hellfire flamethrowers and rip that old world to shreds darlings,” the self-proclaimed Target corporate employee said, according to multiple reports.
One commentor on social media reportedly asked, “lol you gonna make Targets sales tank too?” to which Thompson responded, “Yes. Yes I will make sales tank,” with heart and kissing emojis.
According to his LinkedIn account, Thompson has worked for Target since 2014, previously as a business analyst and buyer. His new position was listed as of November 2023.
In July, seven Republican Attorney Generals have sent a letter to Target warning that their Pride month displays may have violated state laws that “protect children from harmful content meant to sexualize them and prohibit gender transitions of children.”
“This year, Target reportedly promoted and sold products in our states that included, among other products, LGBT-themed onesies, bibs, and overalls, t-shirts labeled ‘Girls Gays Theys;’ ‘Pride Adult Drag Queen Katya’ (which depicts a male dressed in female ‘drag’); and girls’ swimsuits with ‘tuck-friendly construction’ and ‘extra crotch coverage’ for male genitalia,” the letter said. “Target also included merchandise by the self-declared ‘Satanist-Inspired’ brand Abprallen, which is known for designs that glorify violence. These designs include the phrases ‘We Bash Back’ with a heart-shaped mace in the trans-flag colors, ‘Transphobe Collector’ with a skull, and ‘Homophobe Headrest’ with skulls beside a pastel guillotine. Target also sold products with antiChristian designs, such as pentagrams, horned skulls, and other Satanic products. One such design included the phrase ‘Satan Respects Pronouns’ with a horned ram representing Baphomet—a half-human, half-animal, hermaphrodite worshiped by the occult.”
After news of Target’s Pride campaign went viral, a conservative boycott caused the company’s stock prices to plummet by 16 percent.