The Hershey Company is facing a backlash on social media after featuring a biological male dressed as a woman in a new ad honoring International Women’s Day.
The short commercial features Fae Johnstone, a “2SLGBTQUIA+ Advocate,” promoting a limited-edition Hershey’s candy bar with his image on it. (The acronym 2SLGTBQIA+ stands for “Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual”).
The spot was released on Wednesday as part of Hershey’s Canada’s “Her for She” ad campaign for International Women’s Day on March 8.
In the clip, Johnstone provides a voiceover explaining the company’s “inclusivity initiative”: “My name is Fae Johnstone, I’m the executive director of ‘Wisdom to Action.’ We can create a world where everyone is able to live in public space as their honest and authentic selves,” the trans activist says.
The ad ends with the Johnstone laughing and posing with four biological women. His voiceover concludes with an invitation for viewers to view Hershey’s Canada’s International Women’s Day campaign on its website.
“See the women changing how we see the future at Hershey’s Canada,” the transvestite said.
.@Hersheys is putting the face of a trans-"woman" on chocolate bar wrappers with "HerShe" highlighted in honor of international women's day.
Hershey's is erasing women. pic.twitter.com/JzRkAtwTdO— Leftism (@LeftismForU) March 1, 2023
A press release from Hershey’s Canada named the five women featured in its ad campaign: “This year’s HER for SHE initiative spotlights five Canadian women … Autumn Peltier, Indigenous Rights and Water Activist; Fae Johnstone, 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocate; Rita Audi, Gender and Education Equality Activist; Naila Moloo, Climate Tech Researcher; and Kélicia Massala, founder of Girl Up Québec.”
Hershey’s decision to use a biological male for its women’s day campaign immediately prompted a backlash among disgusted social media users, including threats to boycott the chocolate maker.
Anti-Woke Twitter account @LeftismForU tweeted, “@Hersheys is putting the face of a trans-‘woman’ on chocolate bar wrappers with ‘HerShe’ highlighted in honor of International Women’s Day. Hershey’s is erasing women.”
Pro-Trump account “Catturd” tweeted, “Why does @Hersheys hate women?”
The Federalist Editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway blasted the candy maker with a scathing response, saying, “So @Hersheys is featuring a male in costume as a woman for its international women’s day ad campaign.”
Conservative author and transgender movement critic Oli London slammed Johnstone and the ad, tweeting, “This is a tweet from the new face of HERSHEYS International Women’s Day Campaign – a man who identifies as a woman! The whole ad campaign is designed to uplift women on women’s day- but instead is a complete disrespect to REAL Women!”
The Federalist co-founder and CEO Sean Davis wrote, “Hershey’s is ‘honoring’ women by featuring delusional, disfigured men on its candy bars. Feel empowered yet, ladies?”
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton commented, “@Hersheys embraces misogyny.”
Johnstone, who describes himself as a “queer, trans and feminist activist” on Twitter, has an online history of attacking feminists who oppose transgender ideology and advocating that they be bullied into silence. In July of 2021, the transvestite said “TERFs” (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) should be “so vilified they don’t dare speak their views publicly.”
Following the backlash against his inclusion in an ad campaign geared for women, Johnstone tweeted that “we still have far to go in the fight for feminist liberation and trans rights.” He added: “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not shutting up. I will always stand up for women and girls, cis and trans.”
https://twitter.com/FaeJohnstone/status/1631356827441979396?s=20
In response to Johnstone’s tweet, Matt Walsh, the creator of the Daily Wire production “What is a Woman?”, asked him that very question and offered to pay $20,000 to the charity of his choice if he could provide a “coherent” answer.
“Hi @FaeJohnstone. I will personally donate 20 thousand dollars to the charity of your choice if you can provide a coherent definition of the word ‘woman.’ Seeing as how you identify as one, I’m sure this will be no problem for you!” Walsh wrote.
Hi @FaeJohnstone. I will personally donate 20 thousand dollars to the charity of your choice if you can provide a coherent definition of the word "woman." Seeing as how you identify as one, I'm sure this will be no problem for you! https://t.co/c3jucaekal
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) March 2, 2023
Johnstone did not immediately respond to Walsh’s query.