Originally published May 24, 2023 4:00 pm PDT
“Come out!”
QUICK FACTS:
- Outdoor apparel brand The North Face is pushing so-called LGBTQ “Pride” in a new clothing collection, including items for children.
- The label has partnered with drag queen “Patti Gonia” to announce the Summer of Pride tour.
- “Hi, it’s me, Pattie Gonia, a real-life homosexual,” says the drag queen in the video.
- The advertisement invites viewers to “come out” to celebrate the Pride tour in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Atlanta, Georgia.
- While the Salt Lake City location is currently sold out, the brand is offering a waitlist for those who wish to attend.
- North Face’s website gives an explanation for the collection: “Each one of us is a reflection of the glittery, messy, beautiful diversity that is Mother Earth. This Pride, we celebrate the transformational power of finding our runway in the outdoors together.”
- “We roar. We heal. We become,” the site adds. “Mother Nature guides us to where we need to be–and we dress up to honor her.”
FROM THE COMMERCIAL:
- “We are here to invite you to come out,” the drag queen says in the video, pausing suggestively before continuing, “in nature with us!”
- “This tour has everything: hiking, community, art, lesbians, lesbians making art,” Gonia continues.
- “Last year, we gay sashayed across the nation and celebrated Pride across the nation with hundreds of you,” he says, adding “across the nation” another time.
- After the announcement was made on The North Face’s Instagram, the clothing retailer added a comment saying, “We recognize the opportunity our brand has to shape the future of the outdoors and we want that future to be a more accepting and loving place,” and included a pride flag emoji.
BACKGROUND:
- Target held an “emergency meeting” after receiving severe backlash for launching satanic and Pride merchandise.
- The retail giant reportedly sought to avoid a “Bud Light situation,” a nod to the boycott costing the company thousands.
- Target’s current collection of Pride items includes “gender fluid” mugs and “tuck friendly” bathing suits for transgender individuals.
