A marketing executive at Target also serves as treasurer of an LGBT organization that receives millions of dollars from the retailer and advocates allowing trans and non-binary school students to keep their gender identity a secret from parents.
Carlos Saavedra, 43, is Target’s vice president of brand management and also volunteers as a director at GLSEN, which supports LGBTQ youth in schools.
Details about Saavedra’s role at GLSEN emerge as Target’s donations to the organization were thrown into the spotlight following a backlash over the retailer’s Pride Month range, which includes “pleat-friendly” women’s swimwear.
Target reportedly donated $2.1 million to GLSEN, whose policies include requiring school staff to ensure that all personally identifiable and medical information related to transgender and non-binary students is kept confidential.
GLSEN’s policy said this should include withholding the information from “parents or guardians…unless the student has consented to such disclosure.” Critics say the policy ‘violates’ [a parents’] right to raise their own children]’.
Carlos Saavedra, 43, is Target’s vice president of brand management and also volunteers as a director at GLSEN, which supports LGBTQ youth in schools
Target is under fire for a Pride collection that also includes “crease-friendly” women’s swimwear. The retailer donates to GLSEN, an organization that says educators should keep children’s gender identity a secret from their parents
Target says on its website, “GLSEN is leading the movement in creating affirming, accessible, and anti-racist spaces for LGBTQIA+ students. We are proud of more than 10 years of cooperation with GLSEN and continue to support their mission’
Target says on its website, “GLSEN is leading the movement in creating affirming, accessible, and anti-racist spaces for LGBTQIA+ students. We are proud of more than 10 years of cooperation with GLSEN and continue to support their mission.”
Saavedra joined Target in July 2019 and became Vice President, Brand Management in January 2021, according to his LinkedIn page.
According to his profile, he joined GLSEN as a board member in May 2019 and was elected to the executive committee as treasurer in November 2021.
Saavedra’s profile explains that the mission of the organization is ‘to help create safe spaces in schools for LGBTQIA+ students’.
Saavedra was approached for comment.
GLSEN also provides instructions for teachers on how to make classes such as math and science “more inclusive of trans and non-binary identities,” including using “she/they” pronouns in lesson plans.
Target’s Pride collection also includes clothing for babies and children
The company has removed some of its most controversial items from its Pride displays in stores across America, following a boycott that shaved billions off the company’s valuation
Target lost more than $10 billion in market cap in the 10-day period following the backlash.
Prior to the controversy, Target shares were trading at $160.96, giving the retailer a market value of approximately $74.3 billion.
By the time the New York Stock Exchange closed on Friday, the stock was trading for $138.93 — a market valuation of $64.2 billion and a loss of $10.1 billion.
In a statement last week, Target – led by CEO Brian Cornell – said it has pulled items “at the center of the most confrontational behavior”
The backlash against Target’s Pride range comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding Bud Light’s decision to use trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote the beer.
Writing for DailyMail.com, a former Anheuser-Busch executive who owns Bud Light explained how “consumers have no idea that their money can be leveraged by major financial institutions to influence popular American brands.”
In a statement last week, Target — led by CEO Brian Cornell — announced that the company had pulled items that were “at the center of the most confrontational behavior.”
“Since the introduction of this year’s collection, we have faced threats that affect our team members’ sense of safety and well-being at work,” the company said in a statement.
“Given these unstable conditions, we are adjusting our plans, including removing items that were central to the most significant confrontational behavior.”
The company did not specify which items were pulled from its shelves. As of Sunday, many of the bathing suits, rompers and t-shirts that sparked the outcry remained available online.