Here at ODLAN we are extremely disappointed to see the online hate that has been generated in response to Hershey’s inclusion of Fae Johnstone, a trans woman, in an ad campaign celebrating Women’s History Month. On March 1st, 2023, Johnstone tweeted that they would be featured in the Hershey ad:
“The chocolate’s out of the wrapper! Honoured to be featured in this campaign by @Hersheys Canada for #InternationalWomensDay alongside 4 brilliant sisters and change-makers.”
Since then, many have condemned Johnstone’s presence in the advertisement, claiming that she is not a real woman. We condemn this online hate and bigotry against trans women. We stand in support of Fae Johnstone and all other trans women.
Trans lives matter.
Trans women are women.
Trans rights are human rights.
Fae Johnstone is Executive Director and Co-Owner of Wisdom2Action (W2A), a member of YWCA Canada’s Board of Directors, and is an experienced community engagement expert, diversity and inclusion consultant, and project manager. Over her past two years working with W2A, Fae has led local, provincial, and national initiatives focused on 2SLGBTQ+ community health and wellness, youth mental health, meaningful community engagement, and gender-based violence.
To learn more about what ODLAN is doing to combat online hate join us for one of our webinars on the topic (see our social media for dates/time of upcoming webinars) or watch recordings of our webinars here.