Adidas sent an Instagram on Valentine’s with a caption that read: “The love you take is equal to the love you make,” angering anti-gay proponents.
Photo: Adidas
Sportswear company Adidas changed their contracts to athletes to ensure more inclusion. The company added a clause that states that if an athlete they sponsor comes out as LGBT, they will not be terminated.
“Adidas acknowledges and adheres to the principles of diversity, as this is a central part of the Adidas group philosophy. Therefore Adidas warrants that this agreement will neither be terminated nor modified in case the athlete comes out to the public as a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community,” the clause read, taking place during a conference in the UK, according to Fox Sports.
Making gay opponents angrier, on Valentine’s the company sent an Instagram message and a pic that depicted an image showing two pairs of obviously female legs, with one on tip-toes, apparently reaching up for a kiss. The caption read: “The love you take is equal to the love you make.”
In the past, the company has been known to encourage diversity in the past as well. They signed Olympian Tom Daley to an endorsement deal after he publicly came out as gay in 2013. In addition, the company also doesn’t allow online customers to add the words “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual” or “transgender” when customizing its products as a way for people to stop “abusing the system.”
However, not every company is as accepting. U.S. Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy told ESPN he was afraid to come out because he thought he would lose endorsement deals.
He came out in the fall of 2015. Read more about Adidas’ move here.
Check out how some people and organizations reacted to the company’s LGBT support via Twitter.
https://twitter.com/StonewallScot/status/698512479924563968
https://twitter.com/LGBT_ie/status/700304510808432640
https://twitter.com/outmagazine/status/699330064526282752
https://twitter.com/laurmanisclexa/status/699029817568538624
