Far right accuses Oreos of 'grooming' because the company supports PFLAG

A far-right group has released a video accusing the Oreo cookie brand of “grooming” children because of its partnership with PFLAG.

“Is your favorite cookie company grooming children?” the video from the National Legal and Policy Center asks. “What happened to the kid-friendly cookie we used to all know and love? Don’t let PFLAG and Oreo corrupt your children.” The video features images of Pride events and books that anti-LGBTQ+ activists have sought to remove from schools, such as This Book Is Gay and Gender Queer. It was released Wednesday.

An accompanying press release claims that PFLAG “condones gender transition treatments for children as young as three years old, and battles to make sure books with explicit content are allowed in public schools and libraries.” The first is not true; children who are that young transition socially only and do not undergo any treatments. The second is an exaggeration; adults have every right to access books with “explicit content,” while for children and teens, PFLAG and other LGBTQ-supportive groups advocate for the availability of books with inclusive but age-appropriate content.

The press release uses several other typical right-wing themes, such as claiming LGBTQ-inclusive school curriculum “indoctrinates” children and that the American Library association, with which PFLAG has partnered to fight censorship, is “Marxist-led.”

The Advocate has asked for comment from PFLAG, which has not responded. The Oreo brand has been a generous donor to PFLAG over the years, sponsoring supportive films and fundraising events, and releasing special-edition cookies and packaging for Pride Month.

The National Legal and Policy Center is filing a shareholder resolution to be considered in May at the annual meeting of Mondelez International, Oreo’s parent company. It calls on the company to consider the risks of its partnership with PFLAG, which the resolution describes as a “radical LGBTQ activist group.” It mentions backlash against brands and companies that have LGBTQ+ connections, such as Bud Light’s partnership with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney and Target’s marketing of Pride merchandise. But these brands and companies have received praise for LGBTQ+ inclusion as well.

The National Legal and Policy Center isn’t one of the better-known right-wing groups, but its leaders have many far-right connections. Paul Chesser, director of the center’s Corporate Integrity Project, has worked with the Heartland Institute, and Carl Horowitz, director of the Organized Labor Accountability Project, was formerly with the Heritage Foundation, according to Influence Watch, an organization that profiles influencers of public policy. The center has previously criticized companies that support Black Lives Matter and accused President Joe Biden’s administration of corruption.