As Minnesota gears up for same-sex marriage to be legal on Thursday, General Mills brand Betty Crocker—one of America’s most beloved icons—has thrown in its support.
The Minnesota-based baking company will donate a free wedding cake to same-sex couples in Minnesota when the state begins to legally allow same-sex marriage on Thursday at midnight.
“Betty Crocker is performing this donation as a part of ‘The Families Project,’” says the homosexual advocacy organization GLAAD.
GLAAD reports that the company held a cake testing at the Betty Crocker Kitchens at the General Mills headquarters in Golden Valley, Minn., for the first three couples who will be married Thursday.
According to GLAAD, Betty Crocker wanted to “celebrate with these families and mark this moment in the state’s history.”
This is not the first time General Mills has openly supported the homosexual community. The company launched its #LuckyToBe campaign in June, which has been dubbed “Gay Pride month.”
“We’re celebrating Pride month with whimsical delight, magical charms, and two new rainbow marshmallows. … If you’re lucky enough to be different, we’re celebrating you,” the #LuckyToBe campaign stated in a press release sent to GLAAD.
The company used the rainbow marshmallow as a sign of pride and handed out Lucky Charms and rainbow accessories at various Gay Pride events.
“Families are changing a lot. But they’ve still got one thing in common—the love that makes a home,” says the Family Project website.
“At Betty Crocker, we believe that a family is a family, no matter how it’s arranged,” it continues.
The National Organization for Marriage is fighting back against the food company with its campaign Dump General Mills, which seeks to educate consumers about how General Mills is spending its profit.
The online petition reads, “As long as food is produced by other companies my conscience is going to win out over the desire for another bowl of Lucky Charms. Until you stop supporting this radical social agenda I must, in good conscience, look for substitutes that I can purchase instead of the following brands.”
The petition lists 44 brands owned by General Mills, including many popular cereals, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Bisquick and Yoplait.
“It’s not the role of corporate management to unilaterally endorse a controversial political issue unrelated to a company’s core business—particularly when doing so will alienate a large percentage of customers, employees and shareholders,” the petition concludes. “I urge you to reconsider your decision to support same-sex marriage and to publicly oppose the Minnesota Marriage Amendment.”
