Hershey’s featured a trans woman in an advert and right-wing snowflakes are threatening to boycott
Fae Johnstone received hefty backlash after she was featured in the International Women’s Day ad. (Twitter/@FaeJohnstone)
Far-right groups are calling for the boycott of chocolate company Hershey’s over its International Women’s Day (IWD) campaign advert that features a trans woman.
Various anti-LGBTQ+ pundits are once again yelling into the void after a Canadian campaign for the annual celebration of women’s rights included trans and feminist activist, Fae Johnstone.
The advert showed Johnstone, along with several other women, displaying newly designed IWD wrappers, with some featuring the colour scheme of the trans flag.
“We can create a world where everyone is able to live in public spaces as their honest and authentic selves,” the executive director of Wisdom2Action said in a short clip.
The message of authenticity and togetherness is apparently too much for right-wing Twitter users to handle, with #BoycottHerseys trending after the commercial aired.
Typical buzzwords such as “woke” and “propaganda” littered the Twitter space as well as hateful messages by anti-trans pundits calling trans women men.
In response, Johnstone wrote a Twitter thread explaining that celebrating young women, including trans women, is incredibly important.
“Trans women are women,” she wrote.
“We face systemic discrimination on the basis of both misogyny and transphobia – from harassment to hate, poverty and homelessness.
“I am proud to be a part of this campaign alongside four brilliant young women and change-makers, thank you Hershey’s Canada for including me.”
Johnstone finished by saying she would be staying offline to “let this blow over” and thanked the people who “checked in on me”.
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for Hershey’s said that the company recognises the “strength created by diversity” and would work hard to meet that end.
“Over the past three years, our Women’s History Month programming has been an inclusive celebration of women. We appreciate the countless people and meaningful partnerships behind these efforts.”
This isn’t the first time right-wing groups have lost it over a brand doing the bare minimum in LGBTQ+ representation.
Last year, M&S, Tampax, and even Peppa Pig were the subject of brief boycotts as anti-LGBTQ+ groups shared their outrage.
One of the more recent boycotts involved professional rugby league players who took exception to an LGBTQ+ Pride top revealed by Australia’s Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
Several players refused to play the 28 July game against the Sydney Roosters in protest against a rainbow printed on a jersey.
In response, former Sea Eagles prop Ian Roberts – the first rugby player in the world to come out as gay – said he had been left heart-broken by the boycott.
“It’s sad and uncomfortable. As an older gay man, this isn’t unfamiliar,” he said. “I did wonder whether there would be any religious pushback.”
