Inverness Walmart digs in heels

By John Labriola - Managers at Walmart's Inverness store are digging in their heels following numerous complaints about LGBT grooming materials on their shelves.

Complaints began pouring in just before Valentine's Day following the Citrus Crusader's report about the store's large Valentine's Day product display area, which featured several books from the illustrated "gay teen romance" series Heartstopper. 

The Valentine-themed aisles may now be gone with the passing of the holiday, but the graphic LGBT series remains, as the books continue to take up virtually an entire shelf in the store's regular book section. 

Heartstopper, by self-described "asexual" author and illustrator Alice Oseman, was recently turned into a Netflix series that has been condemned for normalizing not only homosexuality but also transgenderism among young people, helping fuel the alarming rise in sexual mutilation surgeries on minors. 

Inverness Walmart managers told the Citrus Crusader that removing the grooming materials would make them "haters against the LGBT community." Courtney, a top manager at the Inverness store who refused to give her last name, claimed the store could only pull the materials if ordered to by Walmart's corporate office in Bentonville, Arkansas. But a manager at the Lecanto Walmart removed several Heartstopper books from the shelves after customers complained, acknowledging they were inappropriate for children.

The Citrus Crusader contacted Walmart's corporate office over a week ago requesting clarification about how much authority local store managers have to not stock or display materials violating local community standards. Leigh Stidham, Walmart's director of corporate communications, said Walmart was "looking into it to understand what our protocol is" but has not called back with an answer. 

But a representative from Walmart Global Ethics who identified herself only as "Hannah" referred a concerned local resident to the Inverness store manager as the person "best equipped to handle" his concern, suggesting the decision lies with local management, despite their claims to the contrary. 

Residents who wish to complain are encouraged to continue calling the Inverness Walmart at (352) 637-2300 and ask for the manager. Those wishing to complain in person can visit the store at 2461 E Gulf to Lake Hwy. 

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