Conservatives online have attempted to make Skittles the latest target for boycotts after the brand released pro-LGBTQ+ packaging in partnership with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
The new packaging is predominantly black and white, with the candy brand’s traditional bright colors reserved for a band of rainbow running across it. Additionally, it features illustrations of various young people, as well as phrases like “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “Joy Is Resistance.”
This is the fourth year that Skittles has partnered with GLAAD, one of the most prominent pro-LGBTQ+ media monitoring groups in the country. Despite that history, this year the campaign ran afoul of a subset of online conservatives opposed to pro-LGBTQ+, especially pro-transgender, messaging from companies and brands. Such messaging has been commonplace for years, but has recently faced increased backlash as conservatives have launched renewed opposition to LGBTQ+ communities.
The pushback emerged on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, with a number of posts, including one from the popular Libs of TikTok account. In addition to pushback against the pro-trans messaging, some users took issue with what appeared to be a drag queen on the packaging and accused the brand of “coming after your children.”
Read more at Newsweek.com
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