Skittles is facing backlash after images of its “Pride” packaging, featuring pro-trans statements, went viral on social media Friday.
The candy packaging that Skittles advertises on its website features slogans such as “Joy Is Resistance” and “Black Trans Lives Matter.” Skittles, which is owned by Mars, partnered with GLAAD, a media monitoring organization that espouses radical gender theory, to reveal the packaging for Pride Month earlier this year.
This past June was the fourth year Skittles partnered with GLAAD “to support the LGBTQ+ community by amplifying and celebrating their stories,” according to its website. Skittles said it will “donate $1 for every Skittles Pride pack sold to GLAAD in support of their ongoing efforts to work through media to combat anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.”
On its website, Skittles also promoted a podcast called “Queery” hosted by Cameron Esposito, who focuses on LGBTQ topics and activism.
“Stay tuned for a special Pride-themed miniseries of Queery where we dive deeper into queer storytelling and the artists that designed this year’s SKITTLES Pride Packs,” the candy brand says.
Skittles now running "Black Trans Lives Matters" on its packaging. pic.twitter.com/W5wnt5fShC
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) August 12, 2023
For a short time in 2020, Skittles “gave up” the rainbow that famously dons its colorful packaging for a black and white package to “give the rainbow back” to the LGBTQ community for Pride Month.
Conservatives ripped Skittles after images of packaging went viral on social media, saying the candy brand is targeting children with a pro-trans agenda. Skittles is a favorite brand among children and young adults, with over 75% of Gen Z adults holding a favorable impression of the brand, according to a Morning Consult survey released last year.
“[Skittles] is trying to turn your kids into BLM & LGBTQ+ activists,” popular account Libs of TikTok wrote on X. “Their packaging also features a drag queen. Skittles have gone completely woke.”
“WTH? Skittles is Now Marketing Woke Idiocy To Children On Their Candy Wrappers!” another person said. “This isn’t an Adult Beverage, Like Bud Light They Warned us They Were Coming After Our Kids- Let’s Make Sure They Hear Our Response Loud and Clear On This One Skittles- And Share.”
Others said Mars, Skittles’ parent company, will get “the Bud Light treatment” after pushing radical gender theory on its customers. Bud Light’s maker Anheuser-Busch lost billions in market value after partnering with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney, who showcased a can with his face on it in a viral video.
Mars isn’t the first candy company to face backlash this year for pushing radical gender theory. In March, Hershey’s faced a boycott after featuring Fae Johnstone, a man who identifies as transgender, as part of its International Women’s Day promotion. In response, Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing launched Jeremy’s Chocolate, featuring He/Him and She/Her chocolate bars.