Magnolia, a company founded by reality television stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, declined to comment Friday on Target carrying LGBT products created by a self-professed satanist.
In 2017, Target and Magnolia entered into a partnership for the retail store chain to carry the Gaines’ Hearth & Hand home product line.
Within the past few weeks, it has come to the public’s attention through social media that Target also partnered with Abprallen earlier this year. The U.K.-based brand creates LGBT merchandise with violent and satanic messages.
Abprallen’s products are designed by a transgender satanist named Erik Carnell.
The company wrote in a social media post, “Satan loves you and respects who you are; you’re important and valuable in this world and you deserve to treat yourself with love and respect. LGBT+ people are so often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God’s will, so fine. We’ll hang with Satan instead.”
Why did @target hire a Satanist to design pieces for their recent “Pride” clothing line?
WTF??”Satan loves you and respects who you are… LGBTQIA+ people are so often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God’s will, so fine. We’ll hang with Satan instead.” pic.twitter.com/FLsNZNzHNa
— Scarlett Johnson (@scarlett4kids) May 20, 2023
The Western Journal contacted Magnolia Friday regarding the controversy and was told by a representative, “Sadly I’m unable to comment on any inquiries regarding Target, and we do not have an official statement at this time.”
Reuters reported Tuesday that Target was pulling some of its Pride Month merchandise, including products from Abprallen, after public backlash.
LGBT items for sale at Target include mugs that read “gender fluid,” children’s rainbow attire and “tuck-friendly” bathing suits. (“Tucking” is a practice in which men conceal the outline of their genitalia in an attempt to appear female.)
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and wellbeing while at work,” Target said in a statement to Reuters.
“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,” the retailer added.
All items from Abprallen had also been removed from Target’s website, according to Reuters.
Multiple media personalities questioned why the Gaineses have not taken a public stand on the issue, given their professed Christian faith.
Turning Point USA’s Benny Johnson said he went into a Target store in Tampa and found the LGBT section, with an Abprallen product included, close by a display for Magnolia’s home line.
Joanna Gaines “is a Christian who has Christian moral values that she wishes to uphold and built her entire brand on family values,” Johnson said in video he shot in the Target store.
He then found a picture of Chip and Joanna among their Magnolia products and said, “There they are: the paragons of Christian entrepreneurs and family values, right next to the satanic designs inside of the pride display in Target.”
“What does Joanna Gaines think about this? Do they support this? Do they support satanic grooming of children? It sure would be nice to know,” Johnson wrote.
? TARGET IS LYING TO YOU?
TARGET: “We removed Satanic items”
Reality: Here they are
TARGET: “PRIDE section is for Adults only”
Reality: Groomer child mannequins, toddler onsies, books
TARGET: “We relocated the PRIDE display”
Reality: Front of store, KIDS Section
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/Sv3fVo3Pfm
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 25, 2023
Fox News personality Rachel Campos-Duffy also questioned the Gaines’ silence regarding Target.
“Target self-destructed this week after partnering with a trans satanist, who designed children’s clothing with ‘tuck your junk.’ And as a result, they took a $9 billion nosedive in market cap this week alone,” Campos-Duffy said Thursday night while guest-hosting Fox’s “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
She pointed out that Target has a “mostly mom customer base,” which made her think of the Gaines family.
“No one doubts that Chip and Joanna are good people, kind, moral and aligned with American values, but if I had a line at a company and my name was on it, and that brand partnered with a trans satanist that makes tuck-em bikinis for kids, I would feel compelled to speak up,” she added.
Campos-Duffy suggested that the Gaines’ may be having internal discussions about the matter.
However, she did note that the couple recently attended a state dinner at the Biden House for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yoel. Joanna’s mother is Korean.
“Here is a question worth asking,” Campos-Duffy said. “Would Chip and Joanna go to a state dinner hosted by the Trump administration?”
She concluded the segment saying, “My guess is Target moms do not stand with Satan or the sexualization of children. So when are companies and entrepreneurs going to wisen up and start representing their customers, instead of the fringe minority?”
Boycott @Target. Not only have they gone all in on pride, they’ve embraced a particularly satanic flavor of pride. pic.twitter.com/y5UAMgVmCe
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) May 21, 2023
The Federalist managing editor Madeline Osburn asked in a Thursday article, “Do Chip and Joanna support Target’s manufacturing of ‘tuck-friendly’ and ‘chest-binding’ swimsuits for children? What about selling the ‘Bye Bye, Binary’ board book with the tagline ‘Nobody puts baby in a pink or blue corner!’?
“Do Chip and Joanna feel that their Christian faith is being mocked when their business partner sells merchandise designed by an outspoken Satanist, such as ‘Too queer for here’ tote bags or ‘Cure transphobia’ sweatshirts? What about shirts that feature naked women or ‘Not a phase’ loungewear?” Osburn further queried.
“Do Chip and Joanna have any qualms about selling their pillows and home furnishings in the same store, let alone a few aisles over, from prominent #Pride displays marketed toward teens, kids, and families?”
I haven’t been to Target in years but thought I’d check out its kids Pride merch to see if it was prominently displayed in the front of the store, or moved to the back, as is reportedly the case in some areas. In Lee’s Summit, the display hits you in the face as you walk in. pic.twitter.com/G3A85Rvm54
— Deb Heine, Dissident (@NiceDeb) May 23, 2023
And podcast host JD Rucker said in a Substack piece that one thing Target has going for it now is the Gaineses have stayed silent.
“As professing Christians, there is absolutely zero reason for them to be silent even if their contract compels non-disparagement,” Rucker argued. “They could remain in line with their contract by simply saying something to the effect of, ‘We are contractually obligated to withhold criticism of our business partners at Target, but our attorneys are working to sever the relationship.'”
“But thus far they have not commented on the fact that one of their biggest business partners embraces satanism and actively participates in trans-indoctrination of children,” he continued.
Rucker concluded, “I get the feeling they’re just hoping this will blow over and they will never have to address that their brand and their products are attached at the hip to a satanic agenda.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
