On March 8, popular chocolate company Hershey’s faced a boycott from Twitter users over trans women appearing on candy bar wrappers for International Women’s Day.

Hershey’s using a trans woman to advertise for International Women’s Day caused outrage on Twitter leading to massive use of the hashtag #BoycottHersheys and controversy around a trans woman being used for advertising for International Women’s Day. The advertisement featured five Canadian women working to build a better future through their passion, activism, and work in their communities.

One of those women was Fae Johnstone, a trans woman and LGBTQ+ activist who has since been bombarded with hateful messages from conservatives who are very much opposed to the appearance. 

“To have young trans women and girls see these chocolate bars and see me on them sends a message,” Johnstone said. “They’re not going to shut me up because this work is so important.”

There has also been much support shown for Johnstone’s appearance which has pushed efforts for trans inclusion and representation; such as the nearly 200 Canadian organizations who signed a statement Wednesday stating “there’s no gender equality without trans women.”

Hershey’s has responded to the backlash by saying that including the trans woman “recognizes the strength in diversity.”

The backlash in response to the advertisement shows that openness to transgender acceptance still needs work and is not as far ahead as some may want it to be.