Sticks and stones may break your bones but names don't hurt Ford Germany. So, when an internet troll remarked that the new performance blue version of the F-150 Ranger Raptor looked "very gay," a Ford distributor decided to show just how gay a Raptor could get.
"The 'Very Gay Raptor,'" a Ford Ranger Raptor in originally Performance Blue, was created in response to a discriminatory comment on social media," read a statement from Ford. "One user described the color performance blue as 'very gay.' We responded spontaneously with an animation in which a blue Ford Ranger Raptor was painted in gold dust and rainbow colors, making our position on discriminatory language very clear."
It was the perfect clap back. But Ford took it one step further. They went on to produce an actual rainbow truck and a rainbow Ford KA – 1998 model to commemorate the first year Ford was a part of Germany's LGBTQ+ Pride parade. In addition, both vehicles participated in this year's Christopher Street Day Parade in Cologne.
Ford has long been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Ford GLOBE (Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Employees), the car maker's international employee resource group. According to the group's objectives, it " provide[s] a venue for networking, socializing, and communication among Ford's active LGBT+ hourly, salary, agency, subsidiary and ally employees."
As expected, Ford's bold (and funny) response created just enough drama to get Twitter involved.
'Very Gay' was a compliment, right? ‚ú®üåà #VeryGayRaptor pic.twitter.com/vOYJfwHANH
— Ford Europe (@FordEu) June 25, 2021
