(OPINION) Some of America’s biggest companies are sending out the equivalent of “trigger warnings” for their customers ahead of Mother’s Day while featuring LGBT messaging on their websites.
A now-viral thread from Twitter user Arizona Informer shows several screenshots of opt-out messaging from Kroger, Levi Strauss, DoorDash, and other well-known companies with language that includes calling Mother’s Day and Father’s Day “sensitive times” and that the holiday “can even be triggering.”
The tweet from Arizona Informer read: “Something very strange is happening with Big Corporations. Out of nowhere, @kroger owned @FrysFoodStores, @KayJewelers, @Hallmark, and now @DoorDash have all sent “Opt out of #MothersDay” emails to their customer base. This is not organic.”
Kroger-owned Fry’s Food Stores, for instance, shared an opt-out message which read in part, “We know Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be sensitive times for some.”
The company’s website also includes an LGBT pride month celebration page featuring the transgender flag and a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) “equality” logo. HRC also advocates for same-sex parenting and families on its website.
The opt-out note from Levi’s took a slightly more casual approach: “… Before we start bombarding you with mom-related content we just wanted to check in first. We know motherhood and all the associated feelings, emotions and memories can be tricky — and even triggering for some people. The last thing we want to do is hit you with celebratory ‘yay mom’ energy that doesn’t match up with your vibe.”
By contrast, Levi’s marketed so-called Pride month last year by releasing a “gender-free skirt” so that “anybody who wants to wear a skirt can wear a skirt.” San Francisco-based DoorDash, meanwhile, wrote an opt-out message saying, “We understand Mother’s Day may be a difficult time for some.”
Last year, DoorDash celebrated Pride month with “drag bingo” events and was named one of the best places to work for “[LGBT] equality” by HRC.
With a headline reading, “We’re Here For You,” Kay Jewelers, which is owned by Signet Jewelers, shared a message which read in part, “We know Mother’s Day can be a challenging time, which is why we want to know if you’d rather not receive Mother’s Day related emails.”
Kay Jewelers also has a dedicated Pride page featuring several same-sex couples kissing and a banner announcing a partnership with HRC. So what’s this all about? (READ MORE)
