Cottonelle Defends Gay Ad After Homophobes Smear It

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.

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.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

February 28 2019 5:56 PM EST

May 31 2023 7:40 PM EST

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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.

\u201cRecorded a movie. Watching. \n\nCottonelle has a commercial with 2 guys in it, talking about cleaning \u201cdown there\u201d. \n\nMake me sick. Nasty. \n\n@cottonelle ...just became an un-customer.\u201d
— drummer (@drummer) 1550863499

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

\u201c@silkride Being clean impacts everyone, and it\u2019s an important step to feeling your best. Here at Cottonelle Brand, diversity is embraced in all aspects and we are proud to share a commercial that is representative of that. Thank you for reaching out.\u201d
— drummer (@drummer) 1550863499

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