Fox News attacks Target’s support for GLSEN after its parent Fox Corp. bragged about supporting the pro-LGBTQ group

Fox News personalities invite viewers to boycott corporations that support GLSEN -- which would include Fox itself

Outnumbered and Martha MacCallum on GLSEN

Fox News has been attempting to stir up vitriol about corporate support for GLSEN, a nonprofit group that works to combat anti-LGBTQ bullying. If they’re looking for companies to boycott for supporting GLSEN, they don’t need to look far: Fox News’ parent company Fox Corp. previously said it has “raised awareness and demonstrated support” for the pro-LGBTQ group. 

Fox News has been waging war against corporate support for LGBTQ causes, including recent attacks on Bud Light and Target. It has also begun criticizing Target for partnering with GLSEN, an organization whose “mission is to create safe, inclusive learning environments for K-12 students.” 

Fox editor Hannah Grossman has written two anti-GLSEN articles in the past week that carry the headlines: “Target partners with org pushing for kids' genders to be secretly changed in schools without parental consent” and “Target marketing VP holds senior position at org pushing secretive transgender policies in K-12 schools.”

Fox’s Twitter account promoted one of the articles -- which was then highlighted by Elon Musk -- with the following image: 

Fox News' GLSEN tweet

Fox News has also attempted to scandalize Target’s support for GLSEN on-air.

The May 26 edition of Outnumbered ran a segment criticizing Target for supporting GLSEN. Co-host Dagen McDowell began by stating: “Target has moved those Pride displays to the back of some stores, but we're now learning the retailer has been donating to an activist group that's trying to push gender ideology into classrooms.” 

Martha MacCallum responded by suggesting people boycott Target, stating: “I think it's really important for consumers and parents and anybody out there to be aware of their take on this. They proudly stand behind it as that support for GLSEN shows. So this is what Target is pushing, right? This is what they're about. And you can make your decision about whether or not you want to shop there.” She then proceeded to say Target’s support is “unfortunate” because they’re preaching about something that won’t “increase shareholder value.” (Fox Corp. also has shareholders.) 

McDowell replied by making a statement that could also apply to Fox: “They've taken a side that does not line up with a lot of their customers.”

Guest Christopher Bedford added that attacks on Target should go beyond boycotts and their company policies shouldn’t be allowed in the United States. 

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Citation From the May 26, 2023, edition of Fox News' Outnumbered

Jesse Watters ran a May 26 segment that began: “We just found out Target funneled millions of dollars to a group that lobbies school districts to secretly transition students without notifying parents.” He and guest Tudor Dixon then criticized Target. 

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Citation From the May 26, 2023, edition of Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime

On the Sunday edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Will Cain complained that Target is supporting “this group GLSEN, who is advocating for some pretty eye-opening policies in school districts.” 

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Citation From the May 28, 2023, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends Sunday

Fox Corp. stated in 2021 that it supports the nonprofit, writing in its corporate social responsibility report that it has “raised awareness and demonstrated support for organizations working on behalf of the LGBTQ community including” GLSEN: 

Fox Corp. and GLSEN

It also lists GLSEN in its 2022 corporate social responsibility report among organizations that it supports. Additionally, Fox Corp. names GLSEN in a video posted on the front page of its website of organizations it supports. 

Fox Corp. has written that it is “committed to LGBTQ+ equality” in material to shareholders and ad buyers while Fox News has spent years attacking the LGBTQ community on its programming. Even Fox News has a website claiming it “celebrates the contributions to America by the LGBTQ+ community.”