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Target slammed for pulling 'anti-trans' book 'Johnny the Walrus' off their shelves

'@AskTarget why did you pull Johnny the walrus. It’s the top LGBTQIA+ book on Amazon I’m offended that as a corp like target you did that,' a tweet read

Conservative writer Matt Walsh's book 'Johnny the Walrus' has faced a rough couple of days. On Tuesday evening, he took to Twitter to question the motive behind Target's decision to pull the book off its shelves. Walsh wrote, "Do me a favor everyone and tweet @AskTarget and ask them why they pulled Johnny the Walrus, which is simply a delightful bestselling children's book about an imaginative young boy who likes to play pretend." Earlier this month, the book which equates the trans experience to pretending to be a walrus was removed from the LGBTQ+ books section and categorized as 'political and social commentary' on Amazon. Walsh's followers are now demanding a response from Target about their decision. 

This is not the first time where authors have had their work pulled off and placed under review. In October, bestselling Black author Jeremy Craft was "canceled" after parents from Katy Independent School District signed an online petition stating that the writing had "overt Critical Race Theory teachings." The same month a mother in Texas took to social media to vent out her frustrations after finding the graphic novel 'Gender Queer' which talks about LGBTQ sex, in the school library. The school was prompt in removing it but not before the mom called them out on social media for "legitimate porn." In mid-September, Kara Bell revealed to the Lake Travis Independent School District the presence of 'Out of Darkness' in libraries, with references to anal sex. Around the same time, Texan Brandi Burkman brought to the school's attention the presence of 'Law Boy', featuring lewd passages. 

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What is 'Johnny the Walrus' about?

Amazon describes the book to be about Johnny, "a little boy with a big imagination. One day he pretends to be a big scary dinosaur, the next day he’s a knight in shining armor or a playful puppy. But when the internet people find out Johnny likes to make-believe, he’s forced to make a decision between the little boy he is and the things he pretends to be — and he’s not allowed to change his mind." The categorization came on the heels of a tweet from LGBTQ+ media advocacy group GLAAD. "This is horrible. @AmazonHelp Please remove this book from the LGBTQ category immediately. It is absolutely not an LGBTQ book. It specifically targets transgender people with hateful and dehumanizing rhetoric."

Their tweet was in response to activist Brennan Suen who tweeted, "totally unacceptable that @amazon is listing Matt Walsh's anti-trans children's book as an "LGBTQ+ Book" -- also goes to show how easy it is for conservatives to manipulate sales and make money off this grift." Walsh was quick to fire back at Amazon for their decision and tweeted, "Amazon has removed my bestselling LGBT children’s book from their LGBT book list. This is an unconscionable attack on gay rights and a horrific example of homophobia and gay erasure." According to the Hill, Walsh had described doctors who perform gender-affirming surgeries on trans youth as "plastic surgeons basically acting like Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

Matt Walsh fans demand a response from Target for pulling the book

"Hey @Target and @AskTarget why have you removed this fantastic, educational treasure of a children's book? Is this some sort of discriminatory practice against Walrus-themed content?" tweeted a user. Another wrote, "@AskTarget why did you pull Johnny the walrus. It’s the top LGBTQIA+ book on Amazon I’m offended that as a corp like target you did that." A third asked, "Hey @AskTarget @Target, I was looking forward to buying @MattWalshBlog
new book Johnny the Walrus for my son. Why did you guys pull this from your store? Don’t we have freedom of speech and expression in America? Isn’t that something we celebrate in our history?" Another user asked, "@AskTarget why would you pull this great book? Who is behind telling you to pull Matt Walsh's Johnny the Walrus book? Why would you do that to a children's book? @Target not good. Are you wanting to lose shoppers?

Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.