A petition calling for the removal of Cadbury’s Creme Egg advert featuring two men kissing has attracted over 25,000 signatures.
The chocolate giants have released a new trailer to mark five decades of the sweet treat.
It features real-life gay couple Callum Sterling and Dale Moran, who are seen sharing a Creme Egg through a kiss.
While many viewers praised Cadbury for its latest campaign, others are seeking to have it banned for being “too offensive” to Christians.
The petition has been posted on CitzenGO, a website that often takes on conservative petitions opposing the decriminalisation of LGBTQ+ rights.
It reads: “By choosing to feature a same-sex couple, Cadbury’s are clearly hoping to cause controversy and escape criticism, by claiming that any objections must be rooted in ‘homophobia’, but members of the LGBT community have also expressed their dislike of this campaign.”
A petition calling for the removal of Cadbury’s Creme Egg advert featuring a two men kissing has attracted over 25,000 signatures (Image: Jean Johansson)
“Cadbury’s should not be seeking to hide under cover of LGBT rights to conduct a campaign which sexually objectifies individuals.
“If the couple in question were heterosexual, the advertisement would likely be prohibited, given the sexually explicit and graphic nature of the kiss.
“Cadbury’s are well aware of the religious significance of Easter. Therefore, they are trying to cause gratuitous offence to members of the Christian community during the most important feast in their calendar.”
The petition even suggests the advert amount to grooming because of its “sexualised content”.
Callum, one half of the gay couple who appear in the advert, has since responded to the backlash on his personal Instagram page.
Callum Stirling has responded to the backlash on his personal Instagram page (Image: Instagram)
He wrote: “So it’s OK when an advert sexualises a woman… to benefit the male gaze and make other women feel inadequate if they do not live up to this beauty standard,’ he wrote.
“But it’s not OK, in 2021, to have an advert of a multi-racial (strike one) gay couple (strike two) on your screens for 10 seconds (strike three) eating/kissing/sexualised (strike four). Does anyone see how ridiculous this is? Like actual LOL.”
Cadbury has also hit back at critics while defending its latest campaign.
In a statement to Ad Age, a spokesperson for the chocolate maker said: “We are proud of our Golden Goobilee advert which celebrates the many ways that everyone can enjoy a Cadbury Creme Egg.
The advert also features a woman licking her own egg (Image: CADBURY)
“To illustrate this and showcase the joy our products bring, a clip of a real-life couple sharing a Cadbury Creme Egg was included in the advert.”
The advert also features a woman licking her own egg, and a man adding the chocolate treat into his baking.
Some viewers have taken to social media to praise the trailer.
Taking to Twitter, one fan penned: “All I can say is, after seeing an advert that embraces love, I’ve never wanted a creme egg more.”
Another added: “The only offensive thing about the #CREMEEGG advert is the fact they are sharing it! Who shares a creme egg? @CadburyUK showing the support for the #LGBTQ community really is progress.”
A third person posted: “I, personally, love the new Creme Egg advert.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
