Who is Fae Johnstone? Boycott Hersheys trend explained in wake of International Women's Day ad controversy

American chocolate company Hershey's is facing severe backlash online after they included a transgender woman named Fae Johnstone in their promotional video for International Women's Day in Canada.

On March 1, 2023, the chocolate manufacturing company brought back its SHE bar for the third time "to teach young girls that anything is possible." In the press release, Gender and Education Equality Activist Rita Audi said:

"By featuring the accomplishments of local women, Hershey's raises awareness of both the progress we have made towards gender equality and the amount of work we still have to do."

Aside from Audi, the campaign features four Canadian women - Indigenous Rights and Water Activist Autumn Peltier, Climate Tech Researcher Naila Moloo, founder of Girl Up Québec Kélicia Massala, and transgender activist Fae Johnstone.

However, Johnstone's feature in the International Women's Day campaign was not liked by many, which led to #BoycottHersheys being trended on Twitter.

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Fae Johnstone is a 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocate

As per her website, Fae Johnstone is a trans woman, advocate, feminist, and small business owner. She comes from a middle-class white family and is an award-winning 2SLGBTQ+ and trans advocate.

Johnstone belongs to a military family and has been to several places, but Ottawa is her home. Fae frequently travels across Canada, helping NGOs, health organizations, and social services scale up their inclusion efforts of 2SLGBTQ+

They have built a small consulting company up to a full-fledged business with an expanding staff as the Executive Director and Co-Owner of Wisdom2Action. The organization is known from coast to coast for its leadership on 2SLGBTQ+ problems, experience in 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, combating gender-based abuse, and enhancing mental health services under her guidance.

Fae is the first publicly trans person, as well as the first trans woman, to serve on the board of directors of YWCA Canada, where she applies her critical perspective and experience to improve feminist policy and organizations in Canada.

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Twitter did not like the inclusion of Fae Johnstone in Hershey's campaign

After Hershey's new ad campaign in Canada featuring Fae Johnstone went viral, Twitteratis were furious. Several users called out the brand for "insulting" women by featuring a "man" in a campaign dedicated to International Women's Day.

Some users also vowed never to repurchase Hershey's products, with some women claiming they deserve better. The trend also led to Johnstone blocking several Twitter users, with them posting screenshots of the update.

In the press release, Hershey's said that for every comment on their HERforSHE Instagram post, the organization will give $1 (until March 18) to the women's leadership organization. Moreover, an extra $30,000 contribution to Girl Up will support this social media-driven project.

As of writing, Hershey's Canada has not responded to the backlash faced on their new promotional campaign.