Wall's Ice Cream apologizes for suggestive photo

The Thai branch of Wall's Ice Cream Company has apologized for referring to a derogatory term for anal sex in a Facebook post to celebrate the landmark US Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in all states.

Over the weekend, Wall's Thailand posted a photo of a black bean flavored ice cream cone to Facebook with the caption, "Wall supports all forms of love #lovewins."

This post has been widely commented on on Thai social media due to its reference to the term “black beans” (tua dam in Thai), which is used in a degrading manner for gay men for anal sex. According to a 2007 article in the Naewna newspaper, the term originated about 70 years ago, when a man named Tua Dam was arrested in 1935 for allegedly having anal sex with underage boys in Bangkok.

A flood of criticism erupted hours after publication, and Wall's hurried to replace the photo with a new post featuring a rainbow-colored popsicle. However, the comments continued and an official apology was demanded, after which the company posted the following statement on Facebook: “Wall's apologizes and we are sorry if the previously posted photo led to any misunderstanding. We had no intention of hurting anyone. We have since removed the photo that gave rise to the misunderstanding.”

In a long post published on Medium.com, a Thai reader argues that the ice cream company's "joke" would confirm the stereotype about gay men. They would be obsessed with sex and promiscuous behavior. “It will only lead to even less understanding for gay men,” he wrote. “It's not the first time the company has suggestively used black beans in advertising. On Valentine's Day this year, Wall's Thailand also posted a photo of a black bean popsicle with the caption "I love you, Buddy," which refers to a 2007 Thai film about gay men.

Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Thailand despite a concerted campaign by LGBT groups in recent years. Although the LGBT community is much more visible and accepted in Thailand than in neighboring countries like Malaysia or Myanmar – for example, there are no “sodomy laws” in Thailand – gay men and women still face discrimination, both privately and in the workplace.

The latest US State Department report on the status of human rights in Thailand noted: “There is persistent commercial discrimination in Thailand based on sexual orientation and gender identity. For example, some life insurance companies refuse to sell policies to gay people, although some companies are willing to insure LGBT citizens and accept same-sex partners as beneficiaries. It is also a fact that a number of nightclubs, bars, hotels refuse access to LGBT people, especially transgender people”. The report also noted that police tend to downplay sexual crimes committed against gay men and women.

Source: Khaosod English – http://goo.gl/nLfqFQ