A Mother’s Day 2022 advertisement from popular fashion brand Calvin Klein featuring a pregnant transgender man attracted a barrage of backlash.
“Today, in support of women and mothers all over the world, we’re spotlighting the realities of new families,” Calvin Klein writes as the caption for its Instagram post featuring the advertisement.
Most followers oppose the brand’s decision, including some saying “Goodbye Calvin Klein,” “brand canceled,” “Blocked,” “No longer purchasing this brand,” and more. Those top comments all received thousands of likes.
Calvin Klein’s Mother’s Day post featuring a transgender couple, Roberto Bete and Erika, attracted considerable criticism and backlash on social media. Roberto, who appears male with a beard and body hair, is visibly pregnant.
The marketing team at Calvin Klein believes that men can get pregnant, so it must be true.” Alejandro Avila wrote for the conservative outlet OutKick.com. “Social media was quick to point out that Klein’s posturing new poster was catering to a rare few, meaning it was probably made for brownie points with the woke mob,” Avila wrote.
In response to the criticism and backlash generated by its Mother’s Day advertisement, Calvin Klein released a statement saying it does not tolerate “intolerance.”
We embrace this platform as an inclusive and respectful environment for individualism and self-expression. At Calvin Klein, we tolerate everything except intolerance— any intolerant commentary will be removed, and any accounts issuing hateful statements may be blocked,” the company said.
On his personal Instagram account, Roberto Bete shared photos and updates of his pregnancy with over 40,000 followers.