"Hi, it's me, Pattie Gonia, a real-life homosexual," a mustachioed man says in their new ad, as he announces the Summer of Pride tour for The North Face, a subsidiary of the VF Corporation which also owns brands such as Supreme, Vans, and Timberland.
Mr. Gonia opens the ad - in part directed at children - by offering "an invitation to come out..." with a long, suggestive pause, and the words "COME OUT" flashing on screen.
The ad, featured on the North Face's Instagram page, is replete with references to homosexuality, and invites people to join Mr. Gonia on their tour stops: Salt Lake City, UT; Atlanta, GA; Portland, OR; Denver, CO; Columbus, OH; and San Francisco, CA.
"Last year, we gay sashayed across the nation, and celebrated Pride across the nation with hundreds of you," he says, referring to a 2022 partnership with The North Face which saw him garbed in an elaborate dress shaped like an open tent, with a man laying underneath.
"We roar. We heal. We become," the corporation declares, adding: "Mother Nature guides us to where we need to be - and we dress up to honor her." Customers are then invited to pay up to $165 for multicolored shoes, amongst other apparel, including kids clothes.
The news comes after Americans backed a boycott of Bud Light and its affiliated products for its partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
