Target Comes Under Fire for Censoring Words Like 'Queer' and 'Transgender'

Target has come under fire for censoring words on its website. Publishing professionals have criticized the retailer for omitting words like "queer," "transgender," and "Nazis" in its book descriptions.

Publishers Weeklycalled out Target in an article. Publishers noted that some of the book descriptions contained asterisks instead of keywords. Target responded, stated that the words had been censored inadvertently, including words like "stripper" and "bondage."

"Like most online retailers, Target doesn't want profanity and other select words to appear on our website in an effort to ensure a positive shopping experience," said Target spokesperson Jenna Reck in a statement.

She admitted that the words had been censored in an oversight and that they should have been included.

"We're working to update our site with the descriptions that were provided to Target by the book publishers," she added.

As of Wednesday, it appears that the redacted words have been restored to the book descriptions on Target's website.