Target Picks A Different Flag This June

Now for a little dose of good news: while some companies are clinging to Pride-themed ad campaigns in June, one of the most notorious offenders is going all-in for Americana just ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday.

Target’s homepage on Tuesday featured a man and woman with children smiling and clad in red, white, and blue. “Epic Style: Americana-inspired looks for everyone,” the website headline says.

The retail giant still has an LGBT-themed section, because of course they do, but it’s way below the fold and not prominently featured.

Target.com

This is a significant change from years past.

In 2021, the Minneapolis-based retailer pushed its Pride collection to the top of its homepage in all its rainbow-hued glory. The banner read, “#takepride everywhere” and included various people, and even a dog, sporting Pride-themed apparel. It also promoted a children’s book called “What Are Your Words? A Book About Pronouns.” 

Target.com via Wayback Machine

In 2020, there was not a hint of red, white, or blue on the homepage. Instead, a rainbow-colored shirt that said, “Ask Me About My Pronouns,” was featured front and center. 

Target.com via Wayback Machine

By 2024, the Pride collection had been moved down toward the bottom of the homepage. But even that placement was far more prominent than its status in 2026. 

Target.com via Wayback Machine

The march back toward sanity comes as no surprise after Target announced it would be reversing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in early 2025.

“Many years of data, insights, listening and learning have been shaping this next chapter in our strategy,” Chief Community Impact and Equity Officer Kiera Fernandez said in an internal memo at the time. “And as a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape, now and in the future – all in service of driving Target’s growth and winning together.”

Target also stopped reporting to external diversity-focused groups, including the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.

The retailer came under fire in 2023 for marketing a line of Pride-themed merchandise, including products like “tuck-friendly” swimming suits, in prominent displays near the front of its stores. Other products in its “Pride Collection” included small shirts with phrases like “Just Be You And Feel The Love,” Pride-themed onesies, rainbow-colored leggings, tutu skirts, and jumpers.

Following widespread backlash and boycotts, the Pride collection was significantly scaled back in 2024. It was also confirmed at the time that the retailer would no longer market Pride merchandise to children, as The Daily Wire previously reported.