Metro Weekly

One Million Moms demands Oreo boycott over ‘homosexual agenda’ rainbow cookies

The limited edition Oreo Rainbow cookies are part of a new campaign with PFLAG to showcase allyship for LGBTQ people

oreo, rainbow, cookies, pflag, one million moms, boycott
Oreo’s Rainbow cookies

Conservative outrage group One Million Moms is demanding a boycott of cookie company Oreo over the brand’s new LGBTQ-affirming rainbow cookies.

Last week Oreo announced a partnership with advocacy organization PFLAG, which helps support LGBTQ people, their parents and families, and allies.

The #ProudParent campaign urges people on social media to “share a photo of what allyship means to you,” using the hashtags ProudParent and #Giveaway, in order to win one of 10,000 packs of new Rainbow Oreos, which are filled with Oreo creme in the colors of the Pride flag.

As part of the campaign, Oreo also debuted a three-minute ad called “Proud Parent,” which features lesbian couple Amy and Jen driving to meet Jen’s family.

The heartwarming spot follows the women as they interact with Jen’s various family members, including her seemingly distant father, and a disapproving neighbor.

Despite fears that her father doesn’t approve of the relationship, Jen wakes to find he has painted a fence in the colors of the Pride flag, asking, “Did I do it right?” before telling her that he loves her.

“The #ProudParent platform is our partnership with OREO, aimed at empowering and inspiring parents, families, and allies of to come out in loud, public support,” PFLAG said in a statement, “because every time a parent comes out in support of their child they inspire others to do the same — making the world a more accepting, affirming, and compassionate place.”

Naturally this much wholesome goodness was never going to sit well with anti-LGBTQ groups, and One Million Moms — which is actually run by just one bigoted mom — is demanding that people boycott Oreo.

In a typically hyperbolic blog post, OMM’s director Monica Cole fumed that Oreo and its parent company Mondelēz International are “airing a gay pride commercial which has absolutely nothing to do with selling cookies.”

Cole ranted that Oreo was trying to “normalize the LGBTQ lifestyle” and “brainwash children and adults alike by desensitizing audiences.”

She also called working with PFLAG a “dangerous partnership,” and slammed Oreo for “supporting the homosexual agenda versus remaining neutral in the cultural war.”

In addition to Oreo cookies, homophobes are urged not to buy any of Mondelēz International’s other brands, including “belVita, Chips Ahoy!, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Honey Maid, Halls, Philadelphia, Ritz, Sour Patch Kids, Triscuit, Trident gum, and Wheat Thins.”

One Million Moms frequently makes headlines for its loud and often ineffective boycott attempts. Earlier this year the group, an offshoot of the anti-LGBTQ hate group American Family Association, demanded boycotts of Disney XD’s DuckTales for featuring gay dads and Marvel’s upcoming The Eternals for containing a same-sex kiss.

The group also targeted The Walt Disney Company for last year’s Toy Story 4, accusing Pixar of trying to “desensitize” children after a same-sex couple appeared for a few seconds.

Arguably the group’s most successful effort came in December last year, after it joined right-wing Catholic website Lifesite in demanding that The Hallmark Channel pull adverts from online wedding registry company Zola showing same-sex weddings.

Hallmark Channel obliged, removing Zola’s ads with same-sex couples and calling them “controversial,” leading to outrage from LGBTQ groups.

Zola responded by pulling all of its advertising from the network, saying in a statement, “All kisses, couples and marriages are equal celebrations of love and we will no longer be advertising on Hallmark.”

OMM’s victory was short-lived, however, as Hallmark Channel later reversed course and reinstated the ads, and apologized for any “hurt and disappointment” caused.

Further undoing OMM’s bigoted efforts, both Hallmark Channel and competing network Lifetime will air their first-ever holiday films featuring LGBTQ leads.

Hallmark’s The Christmas House debuts next month as part of the network’s “Countdown to Christmas,” and stars Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) as one half of a gay couple who head to Bennett’s character’s parents for the holidays while awaiting news about the adoption of their first child.

“Our holiday table is bigger and more welcoming than ever,” Michelle Vicary, executive vice president, programming said in the network’s announcement. “This year’s movies reflect our most diverse representation of talent, narratives, and families, including The Christmas House, featuring a storyline about a gay couple looking to adopt their first child, and starring Jonathan Bennett in an ensemble cast.”

Vicary added: “Our movies are rooted in warmth and positivity, meaningful connections, family gatherings, and seasonal traditions — a winning formula we hope will bring our millions of viewers much-needed levity and holiday cheer at the end of a tough year.”

Meanwhile, Lifetime has commissioned its first-ever LGBTQ Christmas film, with the added twist that its two leads — Blake Lee and Ben Lewis — are married in real life.

The Christmas Setup centers around Hugo (Lewis), a New York corporate lawyer, who heads home to Milwaukee to spend time with his meddlesome matchmaking mom, Kate (The Nanny‘s Fran Drescher). She arranges for Hugo to meet Patrick (Lee), his childhood friend and former secret crush, and the pair face a difficult decision after a dream job offer cuts through their newfound romance.

“We are thrilled to continue our legacy of creating a holiday destination that is welcoming to all at Lifetime,” Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network programming Executive Vice President Amy Winter said in August. “With more new movies than any one cable network for streamer, I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible talent joining us in front of, and behind the camera, on these new holiday movies.”

Related:

One Million Moms fumes about gay dads on ‘DuckTales,’ demands boycott

Real-life husbands to star in Lifetime’s first-ever gay Christmas film

Mean Girls’ Jonathan Bennett will star in Hallmark’s first gay Christmas film

Read more:

Pete Buttigieg is worried about his marriage if Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed to Supreme Court

Algerian authorities convict 44 people on charges for attending gay wedding

Lesbian student says Moody Bible Institute threatened her for tweeting about sexuality

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!