The North Face faces boycott calls over support of LGBTQ+ summer camps
The North Face is facing boycott calls over it sponsoring an LGBTQ+ summer camp. (NurPhoto/Getty/Canva)
Popular outdoor clothing brand The North Face is the latest brand to face boycott calls – in this case, over its long-established sponsorship LGBTQ+ summer camps.
Brave Trials is a leadership summer camp, located in California and Maryland, for LGBTQ+ youth and allies between the ages of 12-18. Its focus is on helping “LGBTQ+ youth find what they need most to thrive: their people, their place, and their passion,” according to its website.
The California and New York-based Camp Brave Trials – which have caused outrage among conservatives – are designed for for LGBTQ+ teenagers aged 12-17, and aim help teens improve their leadership.
On its website, the organisation shares that the goal of the camps is to “foster a supportive space where LGBTQ youth can connect with like-minded individuals, explore their identities, and pursue their passions.”
Responding to a 2021 tweet by The North Face, which announced the brand had donated more than $70,000 to the non-profit, controversial anti-trans organisation Gays Against Groomers stirred outrage, causing conservatives, once again, to unite in calls for a boycott.
In the tweet, the organisation described the camp as a place where “kids as young as 12” go to “perform in drag”.
The group then called for the brand to be boycotted – much like conservatives did with beer brand Bud Light, after it worked with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney last year in a sponsored Instagram post.
Brave Trials posted an announcement in 2022 that explained that its partnerships with brands such as The North Face, Brooks Sports, TOMS, and others, raised more than $100,000 (£79,063) to aid its summer camps.
A Christian father reposted news of the partnership and wrote: “No more @thenorthface for our family.
“This is wrong. All North Face going to give away today. We need to stand up to this nonsense, not condone it, and not become numb to it’s constant attack on the future of our country.”
Others simply posted calls to “boycott The North Face”.
In October 2023, Gays Against Groomers claimed that its Instagram account had been suspended after GLAAD and Media Matters had urged the Meta platform to do so.
Backlash to LGBTQ+ inclusivity saw countless brands face boycott calls in 2023, with Target, Bud Light and Build-A-Bear, being just a few that faced the wrath of the far-right.
PinkNews has contacted The North Face and Brave Trials for comment.
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