Supporters rally around trans activist in Hershey’s Women’s Day campaign

A social media campaign by US-based chocolate giant Hershey’s has drawn fierce responses and strong support following calls for a boycott of the brand’s chocolate over an ad featuring Canadian transgender women.

For International Women’s Day, Hersheys Canada has released five limited edition “HER for SHE” chocolate bars, featuring the faces of five women to “light up the women and girls who inspire us every day.”

The chocolate bar features Autumn Peltier, Indigenous water and rights activist, Naila Moloo, youth climate innovator, Rita Audi, gender equality and education activist, Kélicia Massala, founder of Girl up Québec and Fae Johnstone, transgender activist and executive director of the consulting company Wisdom2Action.

The campaign is meant to celebrate women and document the struggle for equity, according to Hershey. It donated up to $40,000 to Girl Up, a group focused on women’s equity.

When the HER for SHE bar was launched on March 1, Johnstone posted that she had received an award.

In a social media campaign video, the 27-year-old raises eyebrows, twirls and talks about creating a world where people live in “public spaces as honest and authentic.”

“We hope this campaign shows trans girls that they can dream big and change the world too.”

After #BoycottHersheys began trending, she posted Thursday, saying it “shows how far we still have to fight for feminist liberation and trans rights.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to be silent. I’ll always stand up for women and girls, cis and trans.”

“Spurring an international campaign to boycott chocolate companies is definitely not on the list of predictions for 2023,” he quipped.

CBC approached him for an interview, but he was unavailable.

Backlash to boycott

While the special-edition chocolate bars were only distributed in Canada, US media have jumped on the issue, including the New York Post and the right-wing Breitbart, which called the campaign a “woke failure.”

On Twitter, #BoycottHersheys trended on Thursday, with comments attacking transgender women and the company.

Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, said in a release that she applauds the chocolate company for including transgender representation, but condemns the hate reaction, saying this shows how much more work needs to be done.

“Since the release of the campaign, Fae [Johnstone] has been the target of inexplicably transphobic comments, news stories and even calls to boycott chocolate companies for including trans women in their campaigns. Egale is disgusted by the transphobic response to what should be a celebrated campaign.

Michelle Fortin, executive director of Options for Sexual Health and co-chair of the Vancouver Pride Society, said seeing the backlash against the company “making the right decision” is disappointing.

“I’m surprised that in 2023, we don’t know that inclusion and equity includes our trans women sisters. Being born with a uterus is not what makes a woman. There’s more to it than that.”

Julia Levy, the first queer trans woman in Canada to receive a Rhodes Scholarship and go to Oxford University, says it’s disturbing to see women failing to support trans people.

“These transphobic arguments are even more tragic when they come from women who claim to be feminists,” Levy said.

She believes that the movement to control women’s bodies affects all women and trans people.

“The desire to reduce the bodily autonomy of trans people goes hand in hand with the removal of the right for cis women to make choices for themselves – as we see in the US. The Women’s Liberation Movement and Trans Liberation are inseparable. .”

The Hershey Company released this statement today:

“We value togetherness and recognize the strength that comes from diversity. Over the past three years, our Women’s History Month program has become an inclusive celebration of women and their influence. We appreciate the countless people and meaningful partnerships behind these efforts.