Fox is obsessed with Target’s Pride merch while ignoring allegations of actual child abuse

A recent report from watchdog group Media Matters has revealed that Fox News has spent almost no time – as in, less than one minute – covering allegations of child sexual abuse in the Illinois Catholic Church, yet it has devoted over two hours to the conservative backlash regarding Target’s Pride merchandise.

Media Matters found that between May 23 and May 30, Fox spent two hours, 12 minutes, and 32 seconds covering the Target backlash, coverage which included multiple correspondents blasting the company for exposing children to LGBTQ+ identities.

Related:

Heroic Target employees kick out anti-LGBTQ+ bigot complaining about “Satanic” Pride gear

When asked if she supports Satanism and “Pride propaganda,” the employee nods and says she supports “both.”

Meanwhile, the network devoted only 22 seconds to covering a recent report accusing 450 clergy members from the Illinois Catholic Church of abusing almost 2000 children between 1950 and today.

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Ari Drennen, the LGBTQ program director for Media Matters, tweeted this information and slammed Fox News correspondents for purporting to denigrate LGBTQ+ people in the name of protecting kids, when they fail to report on incidents where children are actually in danger.

“I don’t know about you guys but I don’t think this is about protecting kids,” Drennen wrote, along with a screenshot of the chart comparing time devoted to the Church and time devoted to Target.

I don't know about you guys but I don't think this is about protecting kids. https://t.co/hOFcRnGiPA pic.twitter.com/xRytxgIAK3

— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) May 30, 2023

Target is one of the latest companies to become the focus of anti-LGBTQ+ vitriol from the right. It has become something of a trend on the right this year to go to Target, look at the Pride merchandise, and then make a video for social media to show how offended one is by t-shirts that say “Live, Laugh, Lesbian” and greeting cards for same-sex couples’ weddings. Dozens of prominent conservatives have been doing this, even harassing other customers and asking them if a t-shirt that says “Pride Pride Pride” counts as “pedophilia.”

One designer who collaborated with the retailer on several of the products in this year’s collection has even reportedly been inundated with hateful messages on social media, including death threats.

Extremist politicians like Reps Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) have also joined in on the outrage.

Boebert tweeted that she was planning to boycott the store, writing, “Why support woke corporations that hate you?” she asked. “Target won’t be getting another dollar from me.”

And Greene promoted an anti-Target rap video by far-right rapper Forgiato Blow. “American Conservatives are once again showing who has the real buying power,” Greene wrote, sharing the video. “It’s not the woke mob, they only bully and riot.”