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RetailMcDonald's

Gay-Friendly McDonald’s McCafé Ad Sparks Boycott

Robert Hackett
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Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
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Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
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March 8, 2016, 2:27 PM ET

You can’t please everyone.

Religious groups are calling for a McDonald’s boycott after the company released a video advertisement in Taiwan featuring a boy coming out to his father, AdWeek reports.

In the 90-second McCafé commercial, the subject’s father apparently rejects his son’s homosexual revelation, pounding a fist on the table and quickly exiting the scene, leaving the boy alone and downtrodden. On the table there is a cup of coffee on which the son has scribbled “I like boys,” as translated by the China news site Shanghaiist.

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Eventually, the father returns with a cup of coffee of his own. He then takes the boy’s cup in his hands and jots a few more characters on the exterior, changing the written statement to say, “I accept that you like boys.” Cue schmaltzy violin and piano tunes.

For more on McDonald’s, watch:

One group called the Alliance of Taiwan Religious Groups for the Protection of Family is leading the charge in condemning the commercial, and pushing for a boycott, Shanghaiist reports, citing local news sources. “Now, even if you want to just take a leak at a McDonald’s bathroom, you can’t help but feel polluted,” a representative reportedly said.

Others have shown their support for the ad on social media.

Denizens of Taiwan mostly tend toward a progressive stance on issues of gay rights, Shanghaiist notes, citing a poll conducted by the island nation’s Ministry of Justice, which found that 60% of the public approve of same-sex marriage. But there is also a vocal minority of Christians there who oppose such values, the site reports.

Watch the video here: [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CfgO56C0I8&w=560&h=315]

McDonald’s did not immediately reply to Fortune’s request for comment.

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Robert Hackett
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