A new IKEA transgender ad has angered LGBT and Trans communities. The ad is being called "disrespectful" and gay rights advocates feel that it reinforces "negative and harmful stereotypes." On Jan. 24, The Inquisitr reported that the spot, which is running in Thailand, uses a sort of "coming out of the closet" joke as its central focus. This naturally bothered many people and organizations have spoken out about it.
According to the Thai Transgender Alliance, "the transgender content of the advertisement is negative and stereotypical in nature, perpetuating misunderstanding transgenderism as human sexuality for 'deceitful and deviant lifestyle.'" Many people agree with this statement -- but many people don't.
The IKEA transgender ad is making headline news today and it seems as though everyone wants to take a peek to see what all the fuss is about. Basically, a woman and her presumed husband are walking through IKEA when she spots an amazing deal. She gets so excited that her voice changes to that of a male. The man eventually runs away from her -- whether he is "scared" of her or he doesn't want to help carry the heavy items she hauls away is unclear.
IKEA has responded to the Thai Transgender Alliance and has plans to "draft a letter" in further response. Their initial conversation was over the phone and IKEA says that things "went very smoothly."
The IKEA transgender ad can be seen in the video on the left.
© Effie Orfanides 2013
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