The star of a Cadbury advert featuring a gay kiss has spoken out after 25,000 people have signed a petition to ban it.
The ad features real-life gay couple Callum Sterling and Dale Moran, who share a kiss while eating a Creme Egg.
Posted on CitizenGO, a website that typically hosts anti LGBTQ+ petitions, the appeal requested that the advert be removed from all platforms because the kiss is a "highly-charged sexually provocative act."
"By choosing to feature a same-sex couple, Cadbury's are clearly hoping to cause controversy and escape criticism, by claiming that any objections must be rooted in 'homophobia', but members of the LGBT community have also expressed their dislike of this campaign," the petition's description added.
Watch the controversial advert below:It continued: "Cadbury's should not be seeking to hide under cover of LGBT rights to conduct a campaign which sexually objectifies individuals. If the couple in question were heterosexual, the advertisement would likely be prohibited, given the sexually explicit and graphic nature of the kiss.
"Cadbury's are well aware of the religious significance of Easter. Therefore, they are trying to cause gratuitous offense to members of the Christian community during the most important feast in their calendar."
The petition said that the advert is equivalent to grooming because it exposes children to "sexualized content".
Now, one-half of the couple featured, Sterling, has reacted on Instagram to the controversy.
"So it's OK when an advert sexualizes a woman… to benefit the male gaze and make other women feel inadequate if they do not live up to this beauty standard," he wrote.
He added: "But it's not OK, in 2021, to have an advert of a multi-racial (strike one) gay couple (strike two) on your screens for 10 seconds (strike three) eating/kissing/sexualised (strike four). Does anyone see how ridiculous this is? Like actual LOL."
In a statement to Ad Age, Carbury also defended its advert, saying it is a "progressive brand that spreads a message of inclusion."
"We are proud of our Golden Goobilee advert which celebrates the many ways that everyone can enjoy a Cadbury Creme Egg. To illustrate this and showcase the joy our products bring, a clip of a real-life couple sharing a Cadbury Creme Egg was included in the advert," it said.
