Evangelist Franklin Graham has weighed in with his thoughts on a marketing campaign for Hershey’s that features a trans woman.
Titled “She for Her,” Hershey’s unveiled the campaign on March 1, the first day of Women’s History Month. The first ad features Fae Johnstone, a 27-year-old trans woman who serves as executive director of Wisdom2Action, a Canadian social justice advocacy firm.
“We can create a world where everyone is able to live in public space as their honest and authentic self,” Johnstone says in the ad.
Later in the ad, Johnstone is seen alongside four women, laughing and smiling. Johnstone then encourages viewers to visit Hershey’s website to “see the women who are changing how we see the future.”
Upon the launch of the ad, Johnstone tweeted a link to the campaign’s landing page, which features the story of each woman who appears in the ad.
The chocolate’s out of the wrapper!
Honoured to be featured in this campaign by @Hersheys Canada for #InternationalWomensDay alongside 4 brilliant sisters and change-makers. https://t.co/0s9uh8MvHv pic.twitter.com/jdXNJfcZmo
— Fae Johnstone, MSW (@FaeJohnstone) March 1, 2023
Those women include Kélicia Massala, a gender equality advocate; Rita Audi, a gender and education equality activist; Naila Moloo, a climate tech researcher; and Autumn Peltier, an Indigenous rights and water activist.
“The chocolate’s out of the wrapper,” Johnstone wrote. “Honoured to be featured in this campaign by @Hersheys Canada for #InternationalWomensDay alongside 4 brilliant sisters and change-makers.”
International Women’s Day is on March 8, a tradition dating back over a hundred years to celebrate the contributions of historically significant women, particularly those who have been involved in the cause of seeing women treated equally under the law.
The Hershey’s campaign was met with considerable criticism from conservatives, including Franklin Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham and CEO of humanitarian aid organization Samaritan’s Purse.
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Graham is regularly vocal about political issues, often rubbing elbows with Republican politicians serving in the highest levels of government.
