Ford responds to homophobic troll by creating a ‘very gay’ truck
Ford Germany took its Very Gay Raptor to Cologne Pride after a homophobe criticized its paint color
Ford offered the best possible response to an online troll who called their newest truck “very gay”: paint it gold, slap a rainbow flag on it, and take it to Pride.
That’s what happened after Ford’s European arm launched the Ranger Raptor Special Edition, a new iteration of its midsize pickup.
Ford released a suitably bombastic promo for the Ranger Raptor, showing it tearing through a Wild West movie set complete with standoffs, explosions, and the kind of off-roading very few of the Ranger’s owners will ever attempt.
But one viewer took exception to the promo, specifically the Ranger’s Performance Blue paint scheme. The unnamed commenter called the color “very gay” and urged Ford to paint the truck “black [and] gold or camo!”
Ford Europe responded in a video posted to Twitter, saying the comment “stopped us in our tracks.”
The Performance Blue truck from the promo is then shown being painted gold and covered in a Progress Pride decal, alongside “Happy Pride” and a note about Ford’s 25 years of LGBTQ advocacy in Europe.
‘Very Gay’ was a compliment, right? ✨🌈 #VeryGayRaptor pic.twitter.com/vOYJfwHANH
— Ford Europe (@FordEu) June 25, 2021
Ford of Germany went one step further, taking a Ranger Raptor and painting it to match Ford Europe’s mockup.
Wrapped in a black and gold film that took 60 hours to apply, Ford then covered the truck in the Progress Pride flag colors, which wrap around the truck’s rear to end in a love heart surrounding the company’s logo.
The Very Gay Raptor, as it’s officially known, was displayed in the German city of Cologne and took part in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday, Aug. 29.
“You asked #Ford to make the #VeryGayRaptor a reality… and we heard you,” Ford Europe said in a tweet.
“Our-real life version made its debut at Cologne Pride last week in all its rainbow-adorned glory.”
You asked #Ford to make the #VeryGayRaptor a reality… and we heard you.
🏳️🌈 Our-real life version made its debut at Cologne Pride last week in all its rainbow-adorned glory.@Ford_de #FordRangerRaptor #ColognePride pic.twitter.com/EK8Fh1jLMg
— Ford Europe (@FordEu) August 31, 2021
Ford also celebrated its first ever Pride-specific car — a rainbow-wrapped Ka pickup, created in 1998 for Cologne’s Pride event.
The adorable Rainbow Ka was brought to Cologne Pride and displayed alongside the Very Gay Raptor.
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