A mischievous tweet by drag queen Brooke Lynn Hytes (host on Canada’s Drag Race) has gone viral ahead of Pride Month.
It includes a photo of a special Pride ice cream, claiming it to be “Twink flavored, fudge-packed ice cream with corn and peanuts”.
Hi Gay… pic.twitter.com/X9ylxPzsQC
— Brooke Lynn Hytes (@Bhytes1) May 28, 2022
The ice cream appears to be part of Walmart’s Great Value range. The retail giant did indeed unveil its special Pride celebration ice cream a week or so ago.
However, this particular image is fake. Some of the responders to it posted shots of the real packaging, which labels the Pride product as ‘White chocolate-flavored ice cream with brownies and cherries’.
Many online have commented on the special-edition, Walmart dessert with skepticism, accusing the brand of cashing in on minorities.
“Huh, is it time for corporations to pretend to be in support of the gay community to turn a profit again? Time flies,” said one commentator on Reddit.
Related: Big Gay Ice Cream shutters its original store in NYC’s East Village
At the same time it launched the Pride ice cream, Walmart also unveiled a Juneteenth ice cream. On the packaging of the red-velvet flavored treat, the retailer invited people to “Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope.”
Online, many suggested buying ice cream for a Black-owned business might be a more appropriate way to mark June 19th.
The date marks the day Union soldiers arrived in Texas, in 1865, with the 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 feelings of many regarding the Juneteenth ice cream, posting to Facebook, “Dear Walmart, Ummm… k. Thanks I guess. … Capitalize off the culture. With all of the black-owned brands why not promote their products. Give them room on the shelves. Give them production to expand. When we said Recognize our work. That’s what we meant!!”
Within days, the Juneteenth ice cream had been pulled, with a Walmart spokesperson stating, “Juneteenth holiday marks a commemoration and celebration of freedom and independence. However, we received feedback that a few items caused concern for some of our customers and we sincerely apologize. We are reviewing our assortment and will remove items as appropriate.”
The Pride ice cream, as far as we know, is still on sale. It is unknown if Walmart is making any donations from sales to LGBTQ nonprofits and causes.
Related: AFA goes nuts after Wal-Mart features gay love story in video
To its credit, the brand is known for being LGBTQ-friendly. It scores the top mark of 100 on HRC’s most recent Corporate Equality Index, which ranks corporations on their queer-friendly policies and procedures. Queerty has reached out to Walmart for comment about its Pride ice cream.
Here are a few of the reactions online.
I actually can’t tell if this is a gag or not https://t.co/eRpgPm9uyW
— ✨️space clownboy (@Narrrsss) May 29, 2022
Walmart clearly didn’t learn its lesson from the Juneteenth ice cream
— Rachel Barabash they/them (@Rachel_Barabash) May 28, 2022
they go together so well pic.twitter.com/uD7M4tcgI3
— (@simpinforvanjie) May 28, 2022
I promise you, as an LGBTQ+ Walmart employee myself, pride ice cream isn’t something we want. And black people don’t want Juneteenth ice cream.
This isn’t “wokeness”, it’s corporations trying to profit off of minorities by acting like they care about us https://t.co/S4xwqR0Rhc
— Just DP (@DeadpoolLIFE69) May 25, 2022
First the Juneteenth ice cream and now Pride. Chiiiiillllleeee @Walmart is doing the most pic.twitter.com/00VTIB2o58
— You can pick my brain when that invoice is paid. (@DrBWillingham) May 22, 2022
Look, Pride ice cream.
Think of the $$ they saved having one 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. As my friend @marlonawalker said, leave the commemorative ice cream flavors to @benandjerrys There would at least be some type of call to action & focus grouped flavor. Also, what in the defund the arts graphic design is going on? pic.twitter.com/JXqOPjllf6
— Stephanie M. Smith (@Smith4Delegate) May 22, 2022
QJ201
White chocolate with Brownies and Cherries…
Sounds like interracial butt sex
johncp56
LOL
bachy
Jizznut Jubilee.
ericm
Gay pride flavor with cherry? Like there is any gay man of legal age who still has his Cherry! LMAO
[email protected]
Once again we complain about not being part of the American culture. That were bigoted against. To me this is great. It puts our message front and center to every right wing republican we’re here and not going anywhere. Now we’re on your ice cream.
I love it.
bachy
I agree. Especially in that they’re offering white chocolate-flavored ice cream with brownies and cherries, which, like hot gay sex, sounds utterly delicious.
Doug
Me too. I don’t understand why people are complaining about it.
SDR94103
derogatory.
Mack
They’re cluelessly trying to capitalize on minority holidays. They just tried with Juneteenth and failed miserably. Who the hell wants CORN in their ice cream? Are they insinuating a corn cob?
Chrisk
It’s a joke darling.
RyanMBecker
Mack,
You need to re-read the article carefully. There is no corn in the actual ice cream. It’s white chocolate with brownies and cherry. That twink-flavored corn ice cream was a fake mock up. Feel better now?
RyanMBecker
People can be so petty and whiney sometimes. If you don’t like it, just don’t buy it. If you feel exploited, just take your business elsewhere. But don’t complain that it’s available to others, or ascribe sinister motives for its existence. Pride ice cream is no different from any other product. Walmart thinks that there’s consumer demand for it so they manufactured it. It’s that simple.
And you know what? It pisses off the FRC, One Million Moms, etc. That alone is reason enough to support the product. In all seriousness, they could’ve played it safe and not risk offending the Religious Right (rural shoppers are a HUGE part of their customer base). But they decided that their gay and gay-friendly customers are more important. So thank you, Walmart.
I, for one, would buy it except that there’s no Walmart in NYC, and for obvious reasons, it’s can’t be ordered online. But I did just buy a package of Pride Oreos, and I don’t even like Oreos (and I’m straight, for what it’s worth).
Chrisk
I’d buy it too but sadly I’m lactose intolerant. 🙁
bachy
Great comment. If Walmart were contributing funds to some anti-gay political organization, that would be another story. But seeing as how we live in a capitalist society, the primary aim of a business like Walmart is to make money by creating products that appeal to consumers. Duh! Normalizing gay issues to the general public is a side benefit of a product like Pride Ice Cream. As is the pleasure of serving gay ice cream to your pals at your Pride party.
RyanMBecker
ChrisK,
Lactaid pills? Despite being gay-friendly, my girlfriend and I are a pretty intolerant couple. She’s lactose intolerant and I don’t handle beans well. So you’ll never see us dining without Lactaid and Bean on hand.
RyanMBecker
bachy,
Exactly. There used to be a gay florist here called the Gay Rose. Their flowers were no different than the flowers from any other florists. And located in the West Village, their prices were actually higher. But I still ordered from them for gay friends because it brought them joy seeing a lavender “Gay Rose” ribbon with the bouquet. That’s how I feel about Pride Ice Cream, Pride Oreos, etc. Being Pride adds a little extra pizzazz to the event, so why not?
RyanMBecker
Isn’t VANILLA sex a Hallmark of twinkdom? So any Twinkie confection must have vanilla as its base.
Although we didn’t have Pride month in mind, by sheer coincidence, my girlfriend did buy Rainbow Sherbet and Vanilla Ice Cream for our Memorial Day get-together. And the vanilla is even fat and sugar-free for our gay friends desperate to fit into their Fire Island Speedos ™.
RyanMBecker
Okay, I’m not sure who this Tom Prior dude is, but he keeps popping up in an unsolicited video on Queerty. I believe he’s a Brit. All I have to say is that he’s kinda cute. I really should turn on the sound sometimes because a cute guy with a British accent is even cuter. Heh
bachy
Apparently a lot of British guys feel the same way about the American accent, so play that as it lays. 😉
ScottOnEarth
This is hilarious…..but, corn? In ice cream?
RyanMBecker
I’ve had ice cream with pureed corn and it’s pretty good. We’ve also made a sundae with a sauce based on condensed sweetened milk and pureed cream of corn. Also very nice. I think any sweet fruit or vegetable can incorporate nicely in ice cream. The weirdest flavor by far is a Thanksgiving ice cream based on turkey and gravy. Look it up. There’s also a place that will custom make ice cream for you with any flavoring ingredient you choose. I believe someone sent his pregnant wife sardine and pickles ice cream
Den
The twink flavor was a joke, as stated in the article. BUT, a local ice cream maker here puts out a sweet corn ice cream and a basil ice cream in the summer. the two together is incredible.
THAT Steve
Corporations love our money. That’s all you can count on.
winemaker
Time to boycott these corporate bastards. it’s one thing they carry crap made in china and pay their employees low wages many rely on food stamps yet people still patronize these un American megaliths. And the recently introduced ‘juneteenth ice cream and were forced to pull it due to being culturally insensitive. Isn’t it about time the gay community did the same as if this isn’t some bupkus nonsense and culturally insensitive as well. As for me I ‘ve never stepped into a walmart, never shopped there and the same goes for target.?
Den
Walmart’s has changed. But as you are quite conservative I would not expect you to understand that things do change over time. Currently Walmart’s has a perfect score of 100 and designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality. That actually means something.
I’ve never been in a Walmart as there are none in SF, and I don’t feel like taking BART to do grocery shopping.
Eternal.Cowboy
@Den
I assume you are talking about their HRC score. Those are pretty much a joke. I work for a company that has a 100 as well. The score is based on a survey the HRC provides and the company self reports. There is no verification process that the answers are accurate nor is there any talking to actual LGBTQ+ employees. Further if a company is a enough donor to the HRC they get the questions a year in advance and have say one which are actually included on the survey. Basically they get to write their own test. And if you are big enough donor like say… Netflix… and you have a scandal like say …… Netflix….. the HRC will skip your scoring for that year …. see Netflix in 2021…. and you can just promote your previous score as current. The HRC used to be a decent organization but now it’s just a cash cow.
Mister P
The corn is a reference to “corn holing” Yes it is a joke and it is kind of funny.
Fname Optional Lname
I thought it was a reference to the derogatory homophobic “fudge packer” term – stating that it’s fudge flavored with corn and pieces of nuts the way one’ poop would be. so homophobic and gross. Not sure how anyone would believe this was a real advert
mailliw110
First of all, for those of you who didn’t read the article, the forth paragraph says it’s fake. Second, Twinks don’t taste like that!
scotty
exactly. they taste like clean skin and maybe a slightly soapy aftertaste. YMMV i like my twinks clean, or sweaty-clean, or even worked all day sweaty (but they never work all day) i just likes my twinks is all. carry on. cheers.
abfab
No Pistaccio?
Prax07
I did actually try the Prise I e cream last year. Everything was fine except for the brownie cubes. They actually tasted like shit and had to pick them out of it. Otherwise was just fine.
Terrycloth
I bought a container to try..it was delicous..went back bought 5 or 6 more to keep in freezer..it’s been near 90 here every day the ice cream is great and it’s pride win win..unfortunately it’s only around a short time. .
strap2900
These bigots don’t boycott Walmart, because it’s their second home.
Fname Optional Lname
THIS! Funny how they will boycott until it hit’s their pocketbook. Granted some areas really don’t have much of a selection when it comes to grocery / department stores but we all know Walmart is cheaper than the rest. These MAGA hardcores will just ignore the Walmart Pride promotion because they will not risk having to spend more money elsewhere
DBMC
So, when are conservatives going to boycott Walmart? I mean, they’ll starve.