A mischievous tweet from drag queen Brooke Lynn Hytes (host on Canada’s Drag Race) went viral ahead of Pride Month.
It includes a photo of a special Pride ice cream, claiming it is “caramel corn peanut ice cream”.
Hey guys… pic.twitter.com/X9ylxPzsQC
— Brooke Lynn Hytes (@Bhytes1) May 28, 2022
The ice cream appears to be part of Walmart’s Great Value line. The retail giant indeed unveiled its special Pride Celebration ice cream about a week ago.
However, this particular image is wrong. Some of the speakers posted pictures of the real packagingwhich calls the Pride product “white chocolate ice cream with brownies and cherries”.
Many netizens commented on the special edition Walmart dessert with skepticism, accusing the brand of taking advantage of minorities.
“Huh, is it time for corporations to pretend to support the gay community to make a profit again? Time flies,” said a commenter on Reddit.
Related: Big Gay Ice Cream is closing its original store in New York’s East Village
Along with the launch of Pride ice cream, Walmart also unveiled a Juneteenth ice cream. On the packaging of the red velvet-flavored candy, the retailer invited people to “share and celebrate African-American culture, empowerment and enduring hope.”
Online, many suggested buying ice cream for a black-owned business might be a more fitting way to mark June 19.
The date marks the day Union soldiers arrived in Texas in 1865 with news that enslaved black people were free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. President Biden commemorated it as a federal holiday in 2021.
Electris Jones of Durham, North Carolina, summed up the sentiments of many regarding Juneteenth ice cream, posting on Facebook, “Dear Walmart, Ummm…k. Thanks I guess. … Capitalize on culture. With all the black owned brands why not promote their products. Give them space on the shelves. Give them production to grow. When we said Recognize our work. That’s what we meant!!
Within days, the Juneteenth ice cream had been removed, with a Walmart spokesperson stating, “The Juneteenth holiday marks a commemoration and celebration of freedom and independence. However, we have received feedback that some items have caused concern to some of our customers and we sincerely apologize for this. We are reviewing our assortment and removing items where appropriate.
Pride ice cream, as far as we know, is still on sale. It’s unclear whether Walmart makes donations from sales to nonprofits and LGBTQ causes.
Related: AFA Goes Crazy After Wal-Mart Features Gay Love Story On Video
To its credit, the brand is known for being LGBTQ-friendly. It scores the highest score of 100 on the latest HRC Corporate Equality Index, which ranks companies based on their gay-friendly policies and procedures. Weird contacted Walmart for comment on its Pride ice cream.
Here are some of the reactions online.
In fact, I can’t tell if it’s a gag or not https://t.co/eRpgPm9uyW
– ✨️space clownboy (@Narrrsss) May 29, 2022
Walmart clearly didn’t learn the lesson of Juneteenth ice cream
– Rachel Barabash they/they (acRachel_Barabash) May 28, 2022
they go so well together pic.twitter.com/uD7M4tcgI3
— (@simpinforvanjie) May 28, 2022
I promise you, as an LGBTQ+ Walmart employee myself, Pride ice cream is not something we want. And black people don’t want Juneteenth ice cream.
It’s not “wake-up call”, it’s companies trying to take advantage of minorities by acting like they care about us https://t.co/S4xwqR0Rhc
— Just DP (@DeadpoolLIFE69) May 25, 2022
First Juneteenth ice cream and now Pride. Chiiiiiilllleeeee @Walmart does the most pic.twitter.com/00VTIB2o58
– You can choose my brain when this bill is paid. (@DrBWillingham) May 22, 2022
Look, Pride ice cream.
Think of the $$ they saved by having a set of “diversity” graphics https://t.co/cWo80JmaZZ pic.twitter.com/aj4RUV1Bgx— Barbara Waxer ️ (@barbarawaxer) May 23, 2022
So… they didn’t stop at a Juneteenth flavor. Like my friend @marlonawalker said, let the commemorative flavors of ice cream to @benandjerrys There would be at least one type of call to action and a bundle flavor. Moreover, what happens in the graphic design of the arts? pic.twitter.com/JXqOPjllf6
— Stephanie M. Smith (@Smith4Delegate) May 22, 2022