Gay Friendly McDonald's Ad - Come As You Are (Just Don't Tell Your Father)

The French McDonald's ad that will not be aired in the US has a gay-friendly message, encouraging people to "come as you are" or Mon Dieu, in French has caused a stir on many levels. There are some who support the message and think it's a step in the right direction towards equality towards homosexuals. Then there are others who think sexual orientation has no precedence in the food industry at all. Others are appalled and against it and promise to boycott McDonald's in response to it and even some in the gay community are disappointed that the boy in the commercial in still "in the closest".

The ad runs something like this [spoiler alert]:

· Teenage boy sits at table inside McDonald's while dad orders food
· Boy flirts with someone in his cell phone while looking at a class photo
· Expressions of "I miss you too" are exhibited by the boy on the phone and then "I gotta go, my dad's coming"
· Dad joins son at table and references the class photo
· "You look like me at your age. I was quite the ladies man"
· The final clincher is when the dad comments "too bad your class is all boys"

The part that has some gay rights activists heated is that the boy remains in the closet about his sexual orientation in the commercial. Yet are they taking it too far once more and always trying to see fault in something homosexually related?

Couldn't McDonald's just be saying they want to take a stand and show gay-friendliness without the need to provide an entire back-story in a 30-second commercial slot? Maybe they're saying we don't judge you, even if your father would. Maybe they're just trying to say "We couldn't care less who you are or who you sleep with, just come buy some burgers!"

The ad is done tastefully with no explicit content, no infamous "gay kiss" and other sleazy tactics that run on US television each and every day so I'm not quite sure why Americans are in such a huff over it airing here (not that it was planned to).

It's just a teenage kid with a secret from his dad. I got the impression that McDonald's was just trying to say "This is a safe place. We don't care who you are or what religion, sexual orientation or race you are. We don't discriminate. We just want to be a happy place to sell burgers." Why does there always have to be some greater agenda when controversial topics are used?

What do you think? Is the ad offensive? Would you be bothered by it airing in the US? Do you think it's pro-homosexuality or an insult to the gay community? Do you wonder what the heck it all has to do with hamburgers?

Food Recipes DVD