Pizza Hut’s LGBT-themed book promotion in US sparks uproar on social media

Fast-food giant Pizza Hut became the cynosure of criticism on social media after it featured a book about a drag performer in its kids' literacy programme in the United States. In honour of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride month, the restaurant's reading club, 'Book It! Program', has listed various books on its website, including Big Wig and Be Amazing: A History of Pride.

However, the inclusion has outraged a section of people on social media, who have chastised the firm for "going woke" and also threatened to boycott it.

The uproar on social media began when Pizza Hut promoted a book called "Big Wig" as a part of its reading incentive programme for kids aged between 4 to 12 years old. Notably, Drag is a gender-bending art form in which a person dresses up in highly styled attire and wears extravagant make-up to impersonate someone of the opposite sex. It is most usually linked with gay men who dress up flamboyantly in women's attire and adopt feminine personas. They are also known as 'drag queens' - not to be confused with transgenders or transvestites.

Slamming the fast-food firm for promoting the book of drag performer, Brigitte Gabriel, founder of anti-Muslim advocacy group Act for America, stated, "Pizza Hut has gone full woke, now we must make them full broke."

"Boycott Pizza Hut, order from Papa John’s instead. Better ingredients. Better pizza. No wokeness. [sic]," tweeted Conservative political commentator and author Nick Adams. Meanwhile, some people also believed that Pizza Hut's marketing of the drag kids book was "an issue," and vowed to boycott the fast-food chain.

Have a look at some reactions by people:

Some users say US has more pressing issues to worry 

Meanwhile, some Liberals pointed out that there were far more serious topics to worry about than a children's book, citing recent mass shootings in the United States.

"We’ve had like 30+ mass shootings the last 3 weeks and we got morons worried about Pizza Hut and rainbows [sic]," wrote one user. "GOP is furious at Pizza Hut for celebrating pride month; Democrats are furious that kids are getting slaughtered in school. Let that sink in [sic]," expressed another user. 

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