The first-ever, limited edition Rainbow OREO packs. Photo: OREO
An Oreo Super Bowl commercial has prompted a right-wing organization to lash out at the cookie brand for the “gender ideology indoctrination of kids.”
The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) is a watchdog organization that purports to promote “ethics in public life through research, investigation, education, and legal action.” The nonprofit monitors government and corporate activity and is now using its resources to remind folks that they better watch out because Oreo supports LGBTQ+ families.
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While Oreo’s Super Bowl ad itself had nothing to do with LGBTQ+ identities, NLPC produced a 30-second video blasting the company for its longtime partnership with LGBTQ+ advocacy group PFLAG.
The video opens with a logo from a previous Oreo Pride campaign while ominous music plays in the background. Text then overlays the image and asks, “Is your favorite cookie company grooming children?”
It goes on to slam PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends or LGBTQ+ People) — and Oreo by association — for supporting the availability of LGBTQ+ content in schools.
“What happened to the kid-friendly cookie we all used to know and love?” the video asks, before declaring, “Don’t let PFLAG and Oreo corrupt your children.”
The page on NLPC’s website promoting the video falsely claims that PFLAG condones gender transition treatments for children as young as three years old, and battles to make sure books with explicit content are allowed in public schools and libraries.
PFLAG mentions on its website that children as young as three are often confident in their gender identity. Its website also mentions that young trans children are encouraged to socially transition by wearing the clothes they want and using the name and pronouns they want. Medical treatments are not involved in any of this until they’re older.
When it comes to books, conservatives use “explicit content” as a euphemism for any books containing LGBTQ+ content.
“Oreo is a beloved brand with a strong identity and a reputation for connecting with all ages, especially kids, because it’s not only delicious, but fun,” Paul Chesser, director of NLPC’s Corporate Integrity Project said in a statement. “Now the cookie’s image-managers are taking it down the same dangerous path that Bud Light, Disney, and Target have trodden, which led to extensive brand destruction. We urge Mondelez to terminate Oreo’s controversial relationships before it’s too late.”
In addition to NLPC’s webpage introducing the video, its website has another page dedicated to describing the “danger” of Oreo promoting PFLAG.
“Should a brand so identified with children also be so deeply intertwined with the aggressive promotion of the LGBTQ tactics and agenda of militant groups like PFLAG?” the organization asked. “What business does a sandwich cookie have being involved in the promotion of explicit materials where they are easily accessible to children, without their parents’ knowledge? And with those who would promote transgender ideology to minors outside of their parents’ consent?”
The organization then voiced plans to challenge the Board of Directors of Oreo’s parent company, Mondelez International, of which NLPC is a shareholder. Their proposal apparently cites “recent (and current) precedents of disastrous consequences to formerly beloved and respected brands such as Bud Light, Disney and Target,” and says that NLPC “asks the board of Mondelez to examine its associations with controversial external groups such as PFLAG to determine whether they present a significant risk to the health and profitability of the company.”
Oreo announced its partnership with PFLAG in 2020, and with the announcement came the unveiling of the first rainbow cookies from the brand. Oreo also faced backlash from anti-LGBTQ+ organizations at the time, but the company stood its ground.
