Twilight star hits back after revealing she can no longer take her non-binary child to Target

Twilight star Rachelle Lefevre responded to the hateful comments she received online after revealing she could no longer take her non-binary seven-year-old to Target after it moved its Pride collection to the back of stores.

Lefevre, 44, — who played Victoria in the franchise’s second film, New Moon — first took to her Instagram to call out the shop when she appeared to be holding back tears as she contemplated the consequences for her seven-year-old child.

She then posted a follow-up video telling her critics that she knows “how much pain you must be in to hate so hard.”

“I know the hate you have to put inside you to numb the pain,” she said in the video. “So instead of hating back, I choose to know how much pain you’re in.”

It comes after Target moved the display to the back of some Southern stores after making waves for its “pleat-friendly” swimwear. In the space of just 10 days, the company lost more than $10 billion in market cap as it continues to face backlash for its Pride-themed merchandise.

Lefevre accused Target of “trying to wipe out” the LGBTQ community, including her non-binary seven-year-old, after her local store moved their Pride merchandise to the back.

It’s not clear which store she went to, but the actress appears to currently live in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

“So in my post on Target I said my kid was non-binary,” she began in her latest Instagram video as she thanked those who supported her.

The actress said she initially posted a video of her “pushing back” at the hateful commenters, but then deleted it and replaced it with another one saying she decided to “choose to know how much you’re in pain.”

“To those of you who have written hurtful, disgusting things – you know who you are, I clicked back a message and then deleted it. Boy, was I mad.’

Lefevre further explained that she “raised by an abusive mother and an alcoholic father who did nothing about it.’

“I know how much pain you must be in to hate so hard,” she said. “I know the hate you have to put inside you to numb the pain.”

But instead of ranting at the haters, she said, “Instead of hating back, I choose to know how much you hurt.”

“Whether you are lonely, you feel down. Whatever it is that makes you numb from hating other people I want to say that if you can find the courage to face the pain and get rid of the anger I hope there are people to hug you who love you space for you.

“And when you’re ready to emerge as your authentic self, as God made you, full of love, I’ll be here to say hello, nice to meet you.”

Meanwhile, Lefevre said she can no longer take her child to Target because she fears they will be upset if the collection is moved.

When Lefevre first saw the collection with her seven-year-old by her side, the child was delighted to see them celebrated.

“I came in here two days ago and my seven-year-old, who is non-binary, saw it and said, ‘Look, Mom, it’s Pride, look! They’re going to celebrate me!’

But after a series of angry moms took to Twitter and TikTok to complain, the display was moved in some southern stores.

In recent weeks, the retail giant has been taunted by families for throwing transgender clothing, books and greeting cards into its stores.

“So the next time my seven-year-old comes to Target — or rather, I can’t bring them here anymore, at least not for the whole month of June — because when they come in, and all the other people who walk in, and go, ‘Where did it stay?” They will realize that [critics] be successful in trying to erase them.

“We could do so much better than this,” she continued emotionally. “We’re not supposed to negotiate with the terrorists.”

In her caption, the Canadian actress said the retail company offered “performative alliance” and played the role the critics want.

She also said that if it was a “security issue,” Target could afford to “hire additional security, but instead they chose to send the message that LGBTQ+ people are not worthy of being protected or to fight for’.

After backlash against the swimsuits, the company was forced to release a statement saying the suits were only available in adult sizes.

“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,” said Target.

“Given these volatile conditions, we are adjusting our plans, including removing items that were central to the most significant confrontation behavior,” said crisis communications manager Kayla Castaneda.

The company did not specify which items were pulled from its shelves. Many of the bathing suits, rompers and t-shirts that sparked outrage remain available online.