Twitter ignites after Expedia features interracial gay couple in ad

Online travel booking company Expedia has unleashed a Twitter storm after featuring an interracial same-sex couple in its new promotional material.

The image – which the company first shared on Twitter last Thursday (March 19) – accompanies a competition offering people the chance to win a holiday to the UK. It has since received hundreds of comments, provoking both the best and worst reactions on the social media platform.

Enter to win a romantic trip for two to Great Britain! http://t.co/NbFdTlS9F1 @VisitBritain pic.twitter.com/YQvGOATiHB

— Expedia (@Expedia) March 24, 2015

Somewhat predictably, the image of the happy couple incurred the wrath of the ‘phobes, with one Twitter user branding the image “repulsive” and threatening to boycott the company:

@Expedia @VisitBritain WTH! What kinda of repulsive BS are “you people” trying to push? That ends my visits to your website… — Bigwhoop (@RedStRising) March 20, 2015

@Expedia @VisitBritain Puking violently, thanks!

— Star-Spangled Banner (@OldBanner) March 19, 2015

@Expedia @VisitBritain Thanks for throwing the gay agenda in our faces…..

— Bryan R.. (@youthpastorbry) March 20, 2015

The image has received a positive reaction from most quarters however, with one user praising the Expedia for having the “balls” to promote diversity:

@Expedia @VisitBritain You guys have balls to put a gay and interracial couple on here. I like you. — Cainyoyo The Leader (@cainyoyo) March 19, 2015

@Expedia @VisitBritain 10 points for the interracial gay couple <3 That’s AWESOME.

— Miss Quirk (@MissQuirkBBW) March 20, 2015

@Expedia @VisitBritain Now THAT’s a really cool all inclusive invite!!!

— Black Lives Matter (@Americassoul) March 20, 2015

This is not the first time that Expedia has featured a same-sex couple in a marketing campaign. In October 2012, the company produced an advert which showed a homophobic father purchasing a ticket to attend his daughter’s marriage to another woman.

Recent months have seen a wave of firsts in LGBT-inclusive advertising, with luxury jeweler Tiffany’s featuring a same-sex couple for the first time in its 178-year history and traditionally laddy men’s grooming brand Lynx including a same-sex kiss in a new TV ad.

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