These companies are sending out trigger warnings ahead of Mother's Day
Some of America’s biggest companies are sending out the equivalent of “trigger warnings” for their customers ahead of Mother’s Day while featuring LGBT messaging on their websites.
A now-viral thread from Twitter user Arizona Informer shows several screenshots of opt-out messaging from Kroger, Levi Strauss, DoorDash and other well-known companies with language that includes calling Mother’s Day and Father’s Day “sensitive times” and that the holiday “can even be triggering.”
The tweet from Arizona Informer read: "Something very strange is happening with Big Corporations. Out of nowhere, @kroger owned @FrysFoodStores, @KayJewelers, @Hallmark, and now @DoorDash have all sent "Opt out of #MothersDay" emails to their customer base. This is not organic."
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Something very strange is happening with Big Corporations. Out of nowhere, @kroger owned @FrysFoodStores, @KayJewelers, @Hallmark, and now @DoorDash have all sent "Opt out of #MothersDay" emails to their customer base. This is not organic.
— Arizona Informer (@AZInformer) April 23, 2023
This reeks of anti-family activists. pic.twitter.com/4pkKqGUooW
Kroger-owned Fry’s Food Stores, for instance, shared an opt-out message which read in part, “We know Mother's Day and Father's Day can be sensitive times for some.”
The company’s website also includes an LGBT pride month celebration page featuring the transgender flag and a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) “equality” logo. HRC also advocates for same-sex parenting and families on its website.
The opt-out note from Levi’s took a slightly more casual approach: "... Before we start bombarding you with mom-related content we just wanted to check in first. We know motherhood and all the associated feelings, emotions and memories can be tricky — and even triggering for some people. The last thing we want to do is hit you with celebratory ‘yay mom’ energy that doesn't match up with your vibe."
By contrast, Levi’s marketed so-called Pride month last year by releasing a “gender-free skirt” so that “anybody who wants to wear a skirt can wear a skirt."
San Francisco-based DoorDash, meanwhile, wrote an opt-out message saying, “We understand Mother’s Day may be a difficult time for some.”
Last year, DoorDash celebrated Pride month with “drag bingo” events and was named one of the best places to work for “[LGBT] equality” by HRC.
With a headline reading, “We’re Here For You,” Kay Jewelers, which is owned by Signet Jewelers, shared a message which read in part, “We know Mother's Day can be a challenging time, which is why we want to know if you'd rather not receive Mother's Day related emails.”
Kay Jewelers also has a dedicated Pride page featuring several same-sex couples kissing and a banner announcing a partnership with HRC.
So what’s this all about?
Part of it, according to NPR, stems from “painful reminders” for those who lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic, an effort which appeared to gain some positive feedback and drive other companies to follow suit.
Reaction to this year’s batch of Mother’s Day opt-out messages was mixed on social media, with conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk tweeting, “Can we opt out of Pride Month spam too?”
Others, like writer Michele Wojciechowski, supported the effort: “Props to @Hallmark They sent me an email giving me the option to opt-out of Mother's Day emails/texts. I did. That was really cool of them, as I miss my Mom so much, and getting emails to remind me rips my heart out all over again.”
But for Christians, Focus on the Family’s Marty Machowski says honoring our mothers isn’t about political alignment, it’s about doing what Jesus Himself did.
“The cross provides the most touching scene in the life of Christ and His love for His mom. Mary followed Jesus up the hill that day to Golgotha,” Machowski wrote Thursday. “There as he struggled to catch His breath, He called out to John to care for His mother after His death.”
He cited the 19th Chapter of the Gospel of John: “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”
As followers of Jesus, Machowski said, we should follow His example when it comes to our own moms.
“Work to instill confidence in your mom that you will care for her needs and help her with her problems,” he said. “What an honor it is if your mom, in the face of difficulty, can go to those around you and have the confidence to say, ‘Do whatever he tells you,’ knowing you’ll make decisions for her best.”
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected].
