Oreo Cookie released a new ad on Monday that celebrates a young man coming out as gay to his family.
The advertisement, however, has sparked some strong reactions from far-right users on Twitter.
'Coming Out Doesn't Just Happen Once'
The two and a half minute video, features a son practicing coming out to his extended family, with the support of his mother.
The ad, co-sponsored by PFLAG - an organization that encourages families to embrace their LGBT family members – shows a young man sitting with his sister and parents at a kitchen table. While his immediate family already knows he's gay and is supportive of him, he is nervous about coming out to his extended family, including his grandmother, who is soon visiting.
The young man is seen reviewing a letter he seemingly wrote to prepare for this moment, but he stutters and is comforted by his mother. "I think you're ready," his mother says to him in anticipation of his grandmother visiting.
The doorbell rings, prompting the sister to eat an oreo before running away from the table as she is nervous about what is about to transpire. The young man then finds a note to him from his mother that reads, "she might be my mother, but you are still my son." The front door then opens and the boy smiles as he seemingly has the courage to reveal his true nature to his grandmother.
The popular brand of creme-filled sandwich cookies shared the video on Twitter along with a caption that read, "Coming out doesn't happen just once. It's a journey that needs love and courage every step of the way. Share our new film and let someone know you're their #LifelongAlly," the introduction to the ad reads. Watch the film below:
Twitter Reactions
It didn't take long for conservative commentator Ben Shapiro to criticise the company over its "woke agenda." "Your cookie must affirm your sexual lifestyle," he wrote on Twitter. He later followed up by claiming "the story is that every woke corporation now believes it must become an activist LGBTQIA+-%6& outlet. And yes, that's a story."
Meanwhile, others complained that the company should stick to making cookies instead of "politicizing" them just to sell their product. Here are some of the posts:
The film had its fair share of haters but also earned praise and messages of support from other users. One user wrote, "The amount of toxicity, negativity and close-mindedness on this twitter thread is madness. Happy that @Oreo produced and put this out there. Thank you!"
"This is awesome, thank you for supporting people in there time of need. This can be one of the hardest moments for them, thank you for helping to normalize this," opined another user.
