A television advertisement being shown
in the United Kingdom has been withdrawn after a gay rights group
called it offensive.
The Associated Press is
reporting that U.S.-based candy maker Mars is pulling a Snickers
television ad in the United Kingdom that offended gay groups. The
commercial features 80's star Mr. T in an armored truck shooting
candy bars and ridiculing a gay stereotyped jogger. Mars says the ad
was meant to be funny. But gay rights group Human Rights Campaign
failed to find the humor.
“These kinds of ads perpetuate the
notion that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is a
group of second class citizens and that violence against GLBT people
is not only acceptable, but humorous.” HRC said in a statement.
The ad is the second by the company
deemed offensive by gay groups. In 2007, the company pulled a
commercial which ran during Super Bowl XLI. That commercial featured
two male mechanics having to do something “manly” after
accidentally kissing.
The Snickers ad ends with the tagline
“get some nuts.”