This story is amazing, even a Mother’s beautiful love and acceptance of her son isn’t safe from right-wingers.
The clothing store J. Crew released an ad this week (below) that featured the company’s president and creative director Jenna Lyons painting the toenails of her son Beckett. The text read: “Saturday with Jenna: Lucky for me, I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”
Needless to say, the wingnuts went ballistic and attacked J. Crew for allegedly distorting gender roles – which presumably will turn kids gay or transgender. Erin Brown of the right-wing Media Research Center called the ad “blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children.”
FOX commentator Dr. Keith Albow chimed with this “brilliant” nugget of advice:
“Yeah, well, it may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid-and maybe a little for others who’ll be affected by your ‘innocent’ pleasure.”
Dr. Jack Drescher, a respected New York City psychiatrist, disputed claims that toenail painting will influence a child’s sexuality. He says that sexual orientation comes from deep inside a person, not from superficial outside influences like toenail polish. Who didn’t play with gender roles as a kid? This is a part of growing up, this is more normal than normal.
“I can say with 100 percent certainty that a mother painting her children’s toe nails pink does not cause transgenderism or homosexuality or anything else that people who are social conservatives would worry about,” Dr. Drescher told ABC News.
Clearly, anti-gay forces are gearing up to exploit this situation and sexualize this innocent ad for political gain. In their zeal to recreate their mythical version of 1950’s America, they will no doubt savage J. Crew and flood the company with e-mails demanding that they dump the ad.
Let’s not let the voices of religious extremism and cultural rigidity be the only ones heard by J. Crew. Please sign this petition today thanking J. Crew for the company’s willingness to publish this fine ad. Let this company know that their real customer-base is not closed-minded bigots, but forward-thinking progressives who don’t agree with self-righteous scolds like Dr. Keith Albow.
Courtesy of the fine folks at Truth Wins Out
The Little Boy Who Loves Pink Nailpolish