Doritos releases rainbow chips in support of LGBT pride
Who would’ve thought a bag of chips could stir up this much commotion.
Doritos is making waves for its reveal of a new limited edition product released on Thursday called Doritos Rainbows, colorful chips made to celebrate gay pride and raise money for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth.
The chips aren’t available in stores, but are being mailed to customers who choose to donate $10 or more to the It Gets Better Project, an organization aimed at providing moral support to young LGBT people. In recent years, It Gets Better has become a widely publicized campaign targeting bullying and suicide prevention.
It wasn’t long before the company said it had sold out.
“Due to the incredible amount of support we have received, we have run out of bags,” said Doritos on its website.
Doritos, which also announced itself as a sponsor of Dallas’ gay pride parade on Sep. 20, asked consumers to show their support online using the “#BOLDANDBETTER” hashtag.
“I want to dance under a rain of #Rainbow Doritos,” tweeted one user. "#BOLDANDBETTER."
Frito-Lay marks the latest company to join a growing number of businesses offering to throw its support behind the gay community.
Before its legalization in the state of Washington in December 2012, Microsoft lobbied aggressively for gay marriage, saying local businesses would lose out if “we cannot offer a similar, inclusive environment to our talented employees.”
More than 300 major corporations have stood up for marriage equality in recent years, Andy DiAntonio, digital media manager for the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) told The Christian Science Monitor in June.
“The days of standing completely on the sideline are disappearing,” Farah Parker, a corporate consultant with FD Parker & Associates, told The Monitor in March. “Businesses can no longer remain completely silent on social issues. As more corporations strive to create communities and not just consumers, the target audience now picks products based on quality and the company's cultural platforms.”
And this before perhaps the biggest neutralizer of all – the Supreme Court’s June 26 ruling to legalize gay marriage, often known as “love wins.”
As always, however, not everyone is on board. A number of users wrote on Facebook that they considered the new chips product offensive and would no longer be buying from the company.
“Really Doritos? Of all the causes you can champion you pick about the most divisive one out there. At least my diet got a little easier; now you have given me some motivation to not eat Doritos,” said one user.
