(OPINION) From men wearing women’s swimsuits to LGBT-themed products targeted at children, multiple corporations, including Target and Starbucks, have become embroiled in controversy for promoting trans ideology.
Conservative thought leaders and a variety of consumers have expressed disappointment and outrage with various companies’ advertising campaigns and products that attempt to normalize individuals identifying as the opposite sex and indoctrinate children into believing they can change their sex.
Some consumers have threatened to boycott companies for these promotions, with some losing sales as a result. Here are four corporations facing backlash for selling trans and LGBT-themed products.
Earlier this month, Starbucks in India released an advertisement featuring Siya Malasi, a trans-identifying model. The advertisement shows a male who identifies as a female meeting with his parents for coffee. During the meeting, the mother begs her husband, “Don’t get angry this time, please.”
After the man rises and walks away, seemingly angry, it is later revealed that he left to order coffee. When the barista calls out the order, she says Aripita instead of Arpit, showing that the father has accepted his son’s new identity.
“Your name defines who you are — whether it’s Arpit or Arpita,” Starbucks India tweeted on May 9. “At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. #ItStartsWithYourName.”
Starbucks did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment. Several residents of India called for a boycott of Starbucks in response to the advertisement, The Washington Post reported. One user accused the coffee company of “imposing Western culture in India,” while another vowed to “never again” visit Starbucks.
The Washington Post noted that India created a “third gender status” in 2014 and criminalized abuse against trans-identifying individuals in 2019, an action that trans activists did not believe was progressive enough.
According to the publication, the country’s Supreme Court is currently hearing a case about same-sex marriage, a case that the report speculated has led to a “wider discussion” about LGBT issues.
Adidas used a male model to advertise a women’s swimsuit as part of its “Pride 2023” collection. The unidentified male model wearing a product intended for women had stubble and hair on his chest, as well as a noticeable bulge in the crotch area.
South African designer Rich Mnisi and Adidas collaborated to release a “Let Love Be Your Legacy” collection, Fox News reported. According to Adidas, its campaign with Mnisi is intended to “encourage allyship and freedom of expression without bias, in all spaces of sport and culture.”
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer and an outspoken defender of women’s sports, told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on “The Story” that she finds the marketing images “ironic.” (READ MORE)
