Daily Wire’s podcast host and kids’ book author Matt Walsh appears to have been censored by Target. The retailer removed his new best-selling kids’ book Johnny the Walrus from its website.
On Friday, Walsh tweeted a “product unavailable” screenshot from Target’s website. He wrote: “The canceling begins. Target has removed Johnny the Walrus from their website. No explanation has been given.”
Johnny the Walrus is a story about a boy named Johnny who believes he is a walrus. He even wears striped tube socks and uses wooden spoons to mimic the fins and the ivory tusks of the large sea mammal.
At first, Johnny’s mom dismisses the behavior as an innocent pretend game. But when she start seeing it as a problem, she is attacked on social media by “Walrusism” activists who accuse her of being “walrusphobic” and demand that she respect her sons pronouns, including “walrux,” and support his transition to complete “walrushood.”
The mother caves to the demand and covers her son in itchy grey makeup, bathes him in ice-cold water, and feeds him “wormones.”
The book became a bestseller on Amazon’s LGBTQ+ category, before it was removed from the category due to complaints from activists who said the book is transphobic.
Now it ranks #1 in the political commentary & opinion category and #6 in both the children’s humor and humor categories.
The book was sold out in 24 hours on Amazon, with the retailer saying a new batch of the book would be added in March.
It is unclear why the book is unavailable on Target as the produce listing is completely removed, instead of the listing remaining present but with a “sold out” label. Walsh believes the platform is censoring the book based on content.
“I am beginning to feel deeply marginalized and unsafe as an LGBT author and thought leader,” Walsh continued in the Twitter thread Friday morning.
