A West Virginia bakery is being cheered after taking virulent anti-LGBTQ backlash and putting a positive spin on it.
Many notable brands have backed off their usual support for LGBTQ Pride Month this year amidst the virulent right-wing backlash toward the queer community.
Rock City Cake Company in Charleston, West Virginia wasn't about to be one of them. But when they took to their company Facebook page to express their support for the community, they were greeted with incredibly bigoted backlash.
So they decided there was only one way to respond: use the hate speech as ironic cookie decorations for a special collection to support local LGBTQ non-profits.
And the "Sick Freak Cookie Box was born."
That evocative name for the cookie box comes from one of the many vile messages Rock City received in response to their original Facebook post, which read:
"Sick freaks, will never buy anything from your store."
They're surely devastated not to have your business, ma'am.
The company explained the project in a Facebook post in which it wrote:
"Included in this box are real life hate/ homophobic comments posted on social media in our LOCAL community for nothing more than sharing something pride related."
"We as a company, along with many others have received hateful messages/comments, and well… in rock city fashion, we decided to showcase them on a cookie for a good cause."
"If nothing else, to support our local non profits, and encourage young or closeted LGBTQ+ members that the hate they see spewed online is nothing more than a word on a cookie, and we as a community won’t stand for it here."
They explained that for every "Sick Freak Cookie Box" sold, they will donate a portion of the proceeds to local LGBTQ-affirming non-profits.
To keep those non-profits safe, they declined to name the organizations "to avoid more hate spewed toward their mission."
They also graciously omitted each bigoted commenter's name from the cookies, a gesture many of us would not have the grace to extend. They did include their profile photos though, so you can see the face of each homophobic a**hole who made each comment. Perhaps the act of biting their head off will prove cathartic!
If you don't live anywhere near Charleston, you can still join in the fun. The bakery has a donation link on its website for people who "don’t live close" but "hate homophobic people and want to make a donation to a local nonprofit!”
In contrast to the original post, Rock City's response to anti-LGBTQ hatred has people cheering.
Debora Mattingly / Facebook
Jerrica Evans / Facebook
Laura Beth Tolley / Facebook
Claire Sturdevant / Facebook
Michelle Moening / Facebook
Patrick Williams / Facebook
Brent Rayburn Velco / Facebook
Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association / Facebook
Debbie Edens McClanahan / Facebook
Christy Carpenter / Facebook
So there you have it—the perfect way to deal with online bullies. Call it "killing 'em with cookies."
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