Heinz 57 Varieties Unless You're Gay

Watch the ad here that they pulled after receiving 200 complaints that it was offensive and inappropriate. The ads shows two gay men one of whom is preparing the packed lunch and 'their childen' call mum. The other is going out to work. Well that's the Yanks for you. Then the men share a goodbye kiss as one goes off to the work and the other stays at home to do the housewifey bit. The Heinz Deli Mayo ad has been pulled after less than a week on air after viewers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that it was "offensive" and "inappropriate to see two men kissing". Other complaints include that the ad was "unsuitable to be seen by children" and that it raised the difficult problem of parents having to discuss the issue of same-sex relationships with younger viewers. See the Guardian for the full story.

Now I think it is offensive and inappropriate to pull it for the reasons given. But if I had seen the ad, I might have been moved to compain myself about the caricatures of gay men that the ad portrayed. Gay men who rear children call themselves Dads. The message being given out that same sex couples somehow mirror gender sterotypes and that 'Mum' stays at home whilst Dad goes at work takes us back decades.

Well, I'm sticking with my HP Baked Beans and they taste particularly good with onions and black pepper!