Transgender Mom Featured in New Dove Ad Campaign
Dove launched its inclusive advertising campaign about motherhood by releasing a commercial for baby products that features a transgender mother. Titled "#RealMoms," the ad features a variety of mothers including stay-at-home moms, first-time moms and single moms.
"Meet #RealMoms whose diverse parenting styles shatter stereotypes about motherhood and prove that there are no rules about how to be a parent today," the ad's description reads.
Its most striking moment was when a transgender dad named Shea posed as a real mom in an effort to promote the idea that there is no one right way to being a mom.
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"There's no one right way to do it all," Shea, seated next to his son's biological mother, said about motherhood. "We are both his biological parents. You get people that are like, 'What do you mean you're the mom?' We're like, 'Yep, we're both gonna be moms.'"
The commercial drew varied reactions including those who took offense like conservative online commentator Mark Dice.
"I'm sorry liberals, but if someone is a biological male and their sperm fertilizes the egg of a human female, and that human female gives birth to a baby, you are not a mom. You are the father even if you believe and you identify yourself as a woman!" he ranted on his YouTube channel.
Dove is apparently tapping into the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) consumer block which Witeck Communications estimated to have $830 billion buying power in 2013. It cited a Harris Interactive analysis that year stating that approximately 15–16 million adults identify themselves as LBTQ.
Both Witeck and Harris compared purchasing habits in 2007, and learned that 58 percent of LGBTQ adults and 62 percent of non-LGBTQ adults were more or less likely to purchase everyday household products and services from companies that market directly to gays and lesbians.
