After the backlash, some stores plan to scale back their LGBTQ Pride Month offerings, Bloomberg reports. By Reuters

(Reuters) – Target plans to stop selling LGBTQ-themed merchandise in some stores during Pride Month this June, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

Target plans to offer its full range of products online, but is also examining store-level data to determine where it will sell its products physically, according to people familiar with the matter.

Target will likely stock the product in about half of its approximately 2,000 stores in the U.S., the report said.

The move comes after Target was forced to remove some items, including certain transgender swimsuits, from its LGBTQ+ themed collections in some stores last year, facing backlash from customers and confrontations between customers and employees. Target blamed the backlash in part for its decline in sales in the second quarter of last year.

On Thursday, a Target spokesperson said the company is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community year-round during Pride Month, which is celebrated in June.

The Minneapolis-based retailer will continue to participate in local Pride events held in Minneapolis and around the country, with a collection of products for Pride Month “curated based on guest insights and consumer research” in select stores and online. will be provided by , the spokesperson added. .

(This story has been rewritten to add ‘report’ to the end of the headline.)