Right wingers are furious that Skittles are supporting the LGBT+ community

Conservatives are threatening to boycott Skittles after the brand released 'Pride packs'. The promotion features limited-edition packaging featuring designs form five queer designers. For every sale $1 will be donated to GLAAD, a LGBT+ media advocacy organisation.

The five artists - Shanée Benjamin, Mady G, Symone Salib, Bianca Xunise , and Zipeng Zhu - all created individual designs for the sweet's packaging. Tunis's art contained Black characters and the words "Black trans lives matter."

This is not the first time Skittles has released a pride campaign, this year, just like previous years, contains grey Skittles inside as "only one rainbow matters" during Pride.

After a wave of corporate boycotts this year directed at companies such as Budweiser and Target due to Pride campaigns or partnerships with LGBT+ people. It seems Skittles is next on the watch list of right-wingers.

They have begun calling Skittles "woke" and accusing their partner GLAAD of "pushing medical transition on children."

Oil London, a transphobic advocate who had previously had surgeries because he identified as "Korean", wrote on Twitter: "Skittles is raising money with each sale of their new 'Pride it Forward' kids candies for notorious LGBTQI+ lobby group GLAAD... one of the leading and most powerful LGBT groups pushing for medical transitions on children."

GLAAD supports gender-affirming care and equal rights for trans and nonbinary youth but is not "pushing" such care on children like many transphobes claim.

LibsofTikTok also got involved, writing on Twitter, "Skittles is trying to turn your kids into BLM & LGBTQ+ activists. This packaging also features a drag queen. Skittles have gone completely woke."

In a promotional video for the campaign Xunise told Skittles spoke about the importance of representation. Not seeing herself represented in stories made her feel like, "I didn't deserve to be here," she said. "I felt like I didn't belong and... I had a lot of pains."

"Pride is the opportunity for me to stand up and be like, 'Hey I see you.'" she added.

In June 2023, Mars Incorporated - Skittles' parent company - released a statement writing: "We are committed to supporting the LGBT+ community and creating an environment where all our Associates can thrive and be their authentic selves."

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