Pathetic bigots are crying over IKEA’s rainbow Pride charity cake: ‘Blocked’
IKEA’s rainbow cake has bigots losing their tiny minds (Saraya Haddad)
In an absolutely unsurprising turn of events, unhinged bigots are clutching at their pearls because IKEA is selling an LGBTQ+ rainbow cake for charity.
To mark Pride Month 2024, the UK branch of the Swedish furniture chain announced its popular rainbow cake is back in its restaurants and will be sold throughout June, with 100 per cent of the profits going to LGBT+ Switchboard.
LGBT+ Switchboard is the second-oldest LGBT+ telephone helpline in the UK and is staffed by 160 volunteers who have conversations with the community between 10am and 10pm, 365 days of the years.
It has been a vital service for queer folks since it launched in 1974 and has had more than four million conversations with LGBTQ+ people during that 50 year period about everything from coming out and safe sex, to reporting hate crimes and finding local support groups.
Bigots, of course, have been left simply outraged by the very existence of this multi-coloured confectionery which gives money to charity.
“Good bye #blocked,” one disgruntled follower – well, now ex-follower – wrote.
“Worst cake I have seen,” another wrote.
“More to unfollow this month,” a third wrote.
In one – completely unhinged – comment, a social media user demanded to know why there is not a ‘straight month’ before proceeding to ask the company what “agenda are you really participating in” and calling the company a “sheep”.
This is not the first time a company has faced backlash for support queer people: last year, Pride Month saw an unprecedented wave of vitriol and abuse towards a wide range of brands, including Target, Bud Light and Build-a-Bear.
However, for all the bigots losing their minds over the cake, many more people were excited to see it in stores and glad that IKEA was donating profits to an LGBTQ+ charity which needs it.
“Never seen so many people stressed about a cake,” one user observed.
“Well done IKEA. That is properly supporting Pride month rather than the businesses who ‘do something’ to profiteer off it. So many people are performative – ‘look what we are doing for pride month’ but it’s just for show. Good for you Ikea,” a second said in a praising comment.
Others pointed out that IKEA has actively supported Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community for a number of years and one even gave an honourable nod to Blahaj – IKEA’s trans icon shark plushie.
IKEA has long supported LGBTQ+ folks
Way back in 1994, IKEA made headlines around the world for a television advertisement which featured a gay couple looking for a dining room table – and is considered the first TV advert broadcast in the United States that presented a gay couple.
In 2021, the company announced it would fly the Pride Progress flag – which was designed by Daniel Quasa in 2018 – from its stores for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia on 17 May.
As part of the campaign, the company also produced a short film for the campaign, featuring LGBT+ folk from around the world, and revived the rainbow Pride flag version of its FRAKTA bag.
Also in 2021, conversation was sparked amongst the community for a questionable ‘bisexual couch’ which became the unofficial highlight of Pride Month 2021.
According to a press release on IKEA’s website at the time, the IKEA Pride sofas were “designed and created by artists active in the 2SLGBTQ+ community” as a “platform to celebrate identity and share stories of love”.
The bisexual loveseat caught people’s attention for its unique design – mainly that it is covered in hands which physically reach out from the sofa towards the sitting party. The memes, of course, were abundant.
