NEW YORK — The toothpaste manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive has joined the push to promote “gay pride” in the month of June by releasing an advertisement featuring two homosexual men.
The commercial, which generated over 21,000 likes on social media, features two men who are moving into an apartment together. As they stand next to the moving truck looking at the outside of their apartment, one of the men lays his head on the other man’s chest, who strokes his hair.
The men then proceed to carry a sofa up the stairs, at which point they are met by a middle-aged man and a young boy. The two parties stare at each other for a brief moment, not knowing what to think, but the middle-aged man and boy accept the men and gesture to each other to help them carry the sofa.
“Welcome,” the middle-aged man says, causing one of the homosexual men to smile.
“Thank you,” he replies.
The young boy also waves and says hello to the smiling men.
“Sometimes all you need is a smile,” the announcer states as the two homosexual men sit on the couch and hold hands. “And all your smile needs is Colgate.”
The advertisement ends with a call to viewers to “share your #smilewithpride.”
Reaction to the advertisement has been mixed as some have applauded the company’s support of homosexuality, and others have opined that the commercial has more to do with an agenda than toothpaste.
“Thank you for putting this commercial out! I absolutely loved it! As a future dental professional, I want to promote a company who is inclusive to all and also who sells really good products,” one commenter named Rob Frey wrote.
“I would love to see more of this on magazines, TV screens, and billboards. Spread the love,” another named Jonjon Quiles said.
“Really garbage,” a commenter named Reynaldo Cabral opined. “Just show me a tooth commercial. Instead you’re showing some gay couple moving in and feeling and stuff … nothing to do about teeth.”
“That’s the last dime Colgate will ever receive from my pocket,” Thomas Kane wrote. “Colgate-Palmolive needs to sell their products and stop trying to force a social and political agenda on it’s customers!”
Moderators for the company left pro-homosexual comments under some of the viewer reactions, such as “Love puts a smile on everyone’s face” and “[Y]ou are making us #SmileWithPride.”
As previously reported, Colgate is among a myriad of corporations that have sought to include homosexuality in their marketing or have announced their support for same-sex “marriage.”
Tylenol promoted lesbianism in its 2014 American families advertisement, and DirecTV and CVS likewise came out with commercials featuring homosexuals that same year. In San Francisco, Burger King advertised its “proud Whopper,” while Nabisco promoted its Honey Maid grahams and Teddy Grahams in a commercial that featured a homosexual couple.
In 2012, cereal giant General Mills came out in support of same-sex “marriage,” and dessert mix company Betty Crocker did the same a year later, donating cakes to three homosexual twosomes for their “wedding.” JC Penney published Mother’s Day and Father’s Day print ads depicting homosexual couples in 2012, and in 2009, the Campbell’s Soup Company placed a two-page ad featuring two lesbians in the homosexual publication “The Advocate.”