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Gay couple denied purchase of displayed Pride onesie at Target in Florida

Gay couple denied purchase of displayed Pride onesie at Target in Florida
CALL THE PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE. A GAY COUPLE IN WEST PALM BEACH SAY THEY WERE MISTREATED BY TARGET WHILE SHOPPING FOR THEIR BABY. AND NOW THEY’RE DEMANDING THAT THE COMPANY REVERSES ITS DECISION MADE AHEAD OF JUNE TO PULL SOME OF ITS PRIDE MERCHANDISE. OUR STEVE KING JOINS US LIVE IN PALM BEACH COUNTY WITH WHAT THOSE SHOPPERS EXPERIENCED YESTERDAY. HOW THEY’RE DOING TONIGHT. AND STEVE, THEY ARE ALSO CALLING FOR CHANGE, J. THEY ARE. I SPOKE WITH THEM EARLIER AND THEY SAY THAT THEY WENT TO THE TARGET IN LAKE PARK YESTERDAY MORNING TO BUY SOME FORMULA, DIAPERS AND CLOTHING. THEY BROUGHT THEIR TEN MONTH OLD SON WITH THEM. THEY SAY WHEN THEY GOT TO THE SELF CHECKOUT AISLE, A TEAM MEMBER TOLD THEM THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO BUY THE PRIDE THEMED ONESIE THAT THEY HAD PICKED OUT OFF OF THE SHELF. NOW, MICHAEL HOFACKER AND MICHAEL ROEDEL SAY THEY WERE SHOCKED SINCE THE ONESIE WAS DISPLAYED WITH OTHER PRIDE MERCHANDISE AND HAD A TAG AND BARCODE ON IT. THEY SAY THEY ASKED FOR THE MANAGER WHO TOLD THEM IF SHE SOLD THEM THIS ITEM SHE COULD LOSE HER JOB. THEY LATER SPOKE WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WHO TOLD THEM THERE WAS NOTHING TARGET COULD DO BUT THAT TARGET WAS AN ALLY TO THE LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY. THE COUPLE HAS SINCE SENT A LETTER TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THE COMPANY CALLING FOR THE STORE TO REVERSE WHAT THE COUPLE DESCRIBES AS TARGETS. HURTFUL DECISION TO PULL SOME LGBT PLUS MERCHANDISE AHEAD OF PRIDE MONTH. SO FAR, THEY HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM TARGET, BUT TARGET NEEDS TO DO BETTER BECAUSE WE ARE AS BIG OF A COMMUNITY AS ANYBODY ELSE OUT THERE WITH A RIGHT TO SHOP IN THEIR STORES. AND WHEN THEY TAKE MERCHANDISE AWAY FROM US IN THIS WAY, IT’S HURTFUL AND IT’S INFURIATING. AND IT MAKES US FEEL LESS THAN. AND THAT’S JUST NOT OKAY FROM A BRAND WE’VE SUPPORTED FOR SO LONG. TARGET REPRESENTATIVES SAY THEY MADE THE DECISION TO PULL SOME PRIDE MERCHANDISE BECAUSE SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES HAVE RECEIVED THREATS TO THEIR SAFETY. THE COMPANY SAYING IN PART, QUOTE, GIVEN THESE VOLATILE CIRCUMSTANCES, WE ARE MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO OUR PLANS, INCLUDING REMOVING ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN AT THE CENTER OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CONFRONTATIONAL BEHAVIOR. OUR FOCUS NOW IS ON MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNIT
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Gay couple denied purchase of displayed Pride onesie at Target in Florida
A gay couple in West Palm Beach says they were mistreated by Target while shopping for their baby and now they’re demanding that the company reverse its decision made ahead of June to pull some of its Pride merchandise.A trip to buy baby formula, diapers and clothes ended in outrage for a gay couple at the Target in Lake Park, Florida, on Saturday morning, when they were told by an employee and the manager that they couldn't buy a Pride-themed onesie that was on the shelf in the Pride section."We were pretty shocked," said Michael Hoffacker, one of the shoppers.Hoffacker and Michael Roedel brought the 12-month Pride-themed onesie to the self-checkout aisle and the screen showed an alert that an employee was on the way. The onesie had a tag and barcode attached to it."A Target team member walked over and she let us know that that item should have been pulled from the shelves and it had a 'Do Not Sell' on it and they would not be able to sell us the item," said Hoffacker. "I was confident that with the fact that it was there that we would be able to actually purchase it and that I would actually be able to talk one of the managers into selling it to us," said Hoffacker.Target would not sell the item to the couple."We said that that was unreasonable. (The manager) told us if she were to sell us the item, she would probably lose her job," said Hoffacker.The manager told the couple, who had their 10-month-old son with them, their only option was to call an 800-number. They called, but Target representatives said there was nothing that could be done.Now, the couple has sent a letter to the Target CEO, board of directors and other leadership, calling for the company to reverse its decision to pull some Pride items ahead of Pride month.Here is Target's statement regarding this decision, announced on May 24: "For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month. Since introducing this year's collection, we've experienced threats impacting our team members' sense of safety and well-being while at work. Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year."The couple says they're outraged by the way they were treated on Saturday."It was a pretty painful and emotional moment," said Hoffacker. "I’ve never actually felt restricted from my rights as a gay man through being in college to when I came out until now, I mean this was one of the moments when I felt like I didn’t have the rights that I deserved to have. It was very uncomfortable."“Infuriating," said Roedel. "That says it all. Infuriating... Target, in this moment, is wrong. They need to be better and they need to be a better ally in this community and especially in a situation where our family is there, trying to celebrate who we are in a very, very historic and proud, prideful June, and we’re there having a team lead, a manager at Target, tell us we can’t buy a product to actually celebrate our community ... Target needs to do better because we are as big of a community as anybody else out there with a right to shop in their stores, and when they take merchandise away from us in this way it’s hurtful and it’s infuriating and it makes us feel less than. And, that’s just not OK from a brand we supported for so long," said Roedel.The CEO of Compass LGBTQ Community Center in Palm Beach County, Julie Seaver, weighed in on the incident."I was very upset to hear about the experience of this wonderful family," said Seaver. "It's such a shame, especially because it’s Pride month and so I think the most important thing to remember is that true allyship is not convenient and it’s not meant to be comfortable and allyship means more than just words. It means actions."West Palm Beach sister station WPBF reached out to Target about this incident.

A gay couple in West Palm Beach says they were mistreated by Target while shopping for their baby and now they’re demanding that the company reverse its decision made ahead of June to pull some of its Pride merchandise.

A trip to buy baby formula, diapers and clothes ended in outrage for a gay couple at the Target in Lake Park, Florida, on Saturday morning, when they were told by an employee and the manager that they couldn't buy a Pride-themed onesie that was on the shelf in the Pride section.

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"We were pretty shocked," said Michael Hoffacker, one of the shoppers.

Hoffacker and Michael Roedel brought the 12-month Pride-themed onesie to the self-checkout aisle and the screen showed an alert that an employee was on the way. The onesie had a tag and barcode attached to it.

"A Target team member walked over and she let us know that that item should have been pulled from the shelves and it had a 'Do Not Sell' on it and they would not be able to sell us the item," said Hoffacker.

"I was confident that with the fact that it was there that we would be able to actually purchase it and that I would actually be able to talk one of the managers into selling it to us," said Hoffacker.

Target would not sell the item to the couple.

"We said that that was unreasonable. (The manager) told us if she were to sell us the item, she would probably lose her job," said Hoffacker.

The manager told the couple, who had their 10-month-old son with them, their only option was to call an 800-number. They called, but Target representatives said there was nothing that could be done.

Now, the couple has sent a letter to the Target CEO, board of directors and other leadership, calling for the company to reverse its decision to pull some Pride items ahead of Pride month.

Here is Target's statement regarding this decision, announced on May 24:

"For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month. Since introducing this year's collection, we've experienced threats impacting our team members' sense of safety and well-being while at work. Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year."

The couple says they're outraged by the way they were treated on Saturday.

"It was a pretty painful and emotional moment," said Hoffacker. "I’ve never actually felt restricted from my rights as a gay man through being in college to when I came out until now, I mean this was one of the moments when I felt like I didn’t have the rights that I deserved to have. It was very uncomfortable."

“Infuriating," said Roedel. "That says it all. Infuriating... Target, in this moment, is wrong. They need to be better and they need to be a better ally in this community and especially in a situation where our family is there, trying to celebrate who we are in a very, very historic and proud, prideful June, and we’re there having a team lead, a manager at Target, tell us we can’t buy a product to actually celebrate our community ... Target needs to do better because we are as big of a community as anybody else out there with a right to shop in their stores, and when they take merchandise away from us in this way it’s hurtful and it’s infuriating and it makes us feel less than. And, that’s just not OK from a brand we supported for so long," said Roedel.

The CEO of Compass LGBTQ Community Center in Palm Beach County, Julie Seaver, weighed in on the incident.

"I was very upset to hear about the experience of this wonderful family," said Seaver. "It's such a shame, especially because it’s Pride month and so I think the most important thing to remember is that true allyship is not convenient and it’s not meant to be comfortable and allyship means more than just words. It means actions."

West Palm Beach sister station WPBF reached out to Target about this incident.