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Cottonelle Defends Gay Ad After Homophobes Smear It

Cottonelle

The toilet paper brand released a spot that feautures a gay couple using rippled toilet paper for a clean "booty," and homophobes want to boycott. 

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Cottonelle recently dropped an ad featuring a gay male couple that has some conservatives promising to drop the brand. But the toilet paper brand, which encourages users to "give your booty a confidence boost" by using the product, responded to antigay consumers threatening to boycott by doubling down on its support of LGBTQ people.

The 15-second spot features a squeaky-clean bow tie-clad guy prepping to "meet the parents."

"Down there care from Cottonelle ... down there because today you meet the parents," the voice-over says as he nervously sits and waits.

"So before they sit you down, give your booty a confidence boost with cleaning ripples that remove more at once for a superior clean and make you feel like the kind of guy he takes home to mother," the ad continues.

The spot, which began airing earlier this month, enraged some longtime homophobic fans of the toilet paper who tweeted at Cottonelle and threatened to boycott. One user said they would drop the brand because it made them sick.

But Cottonelle was not moved by the threat and responded by essentially saying it would not cave and would continue to support LGBTQ people.

Cottonelle continued to stand its ground when another user warned the brand that emphasized cleanliness in the ad to "beware" of what it promotes.

The brand responded with by affirming its support in the best way.

"No matter a person's orientation, gender, or anything else, being clean impacts everyone," the brand wrote.

Watch the ad below.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.