Clinton Cards withdraws ‘batty boy’ card after gay protests
Clinton Cards has apologised for a greetings card which features a character called ‘Batty Boy’.
The retailer apologised for causing offence this afternoon and said the card was being withdrawn from stores.
It shows a cartoon Batman and his new sidekick, who has a limp wrist and an earring.
A caption says: “Batman wasn’t happy with his new sidekick”, while “Batty Boy” says: “Ooh! Love the suit Batsy! Meeow!!”
While some Twitter users found it funny, ‘Mippy’, who posted the image on Twitter, wrote: “An actual card on sale in Clintons, in the year 2011.”
PinkNews.co.uk reader Simon Francis said: “Firstly it’s deeply offensive, especially given how it’s widely known that the use of ‘batty boy’ in the UK originates from Jamaican songs calling for the death of gay men by using this phrase.
“Secondly, the card phrasing doesn’t even appear accurate as Batman actually looks quite happy with the gayer version of Robin!”
A spokeswoman for Clinton Cards said this afternoon: “We are aware of the card in question and are withdrawing it from our stores.
“The stocking of this card was a result of a flaw in our procurement process.
“The content is clearly not appropriate for our customers and we apologise for any offence caused.”
