Conservatives are fuming about Ritz’s pro-LGBTQ ad
American Family Association is demanding Ritz withdraw an ad that celebrates different families
An anti-LGBTQ hate group is demanding that Ritz Crackers withdraw a pro-LGBTQ holiday commercial or else face a boycott.
The American Family Association, which has a long history of anti-LGBTQ actions and has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has taken issue with Ritz’s “Where There’s Love, There’s Family” ad.
Launched last month, the company collaborated with the “It Gets Better” project on the ad, which asks people to rethink their definitions of family and features an LGBTQ couple heading to a family gathering, one of whom is gender non-conforming, The Advocate reports.
“At Ritz, we believe everyone should feel like they belong,” the company said on its website. “That’s why this holiday, we’re encouraging people to rethink what it means to be family.”
But encouraging love and acceptance during the holidays was apparently too much for the bigots at the American Family Association.
The AFA has released a petition demanding that Ritz “drop the commercial and its agenda to redefine family, gender, and sexuality.”
It also urges the cracker manufacturer to learn more about “God’s design for gender and sexuality, and how those struggling with transgenderism can find help through American Family Associations latest documentary.”
It might be worth giving the “documentary” a miss, given the petition advocates against embracing a person’s gender identity, calling it a “dangerous and unhealthy lifestyle.”
And should Ritz ignore AFA’s demands and keep supporting LGBTQ people? Well, Christians will apparently be forced to buy another brand of crackers.
“Supporting the transgender agenda instead of remaining neutral in the cultural war is just bad business,” AFA rants in the petition. “If RITZ Crackers refuses to remain neutral, then Christians will vote with their pocketbooks and support companies that do.”
As of writing, the petition has an alleged 47,960 backers.
AFA is no stranger to breathless petitions and threats of boycotts. An offshoot of the group, One Million Moms, has gained notoriety for issuing boycott threats against a number of companies and products for showing LGBTQ support.
Those boycotts include, but aren’t limited to, Oreo cookies, a children’s cartoon, a superhero movie, Whole Foods, Toy Story 4, and yoghurt.
Related:
One Million Moms demands Oreo boycott over ‘homosexual agenda’ rainbow cookies
Anti-gay American Family Association isn’t happy about Walmart’s “pro-homosexual” commercial
One Million Moms fumes about gay dads on ‘DuckTales,’ demands boycott
Read More:
Historic number of LGBTQ candidates elected in 2020
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 cast revealed, includes first trans male contestant
Trump administration allows contractors to discriminate against LGBTQ employees
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
