Scene from the McDonalds commercial

A new TV commercial for McDonald’s Taiwan is causing controversy as it features a young man coming out as gay to his father inside the restaurant.

I wonder how many times this has actually happened inside a McDonalds?

The 90-second ad was posted to the McDonald’s Taiwan Facebook page and YouTube channel on March 4 and is in Taiwanese but here is the translation.

The ad shows the dad pound his fist on the table and storms off after reading on a cup of coffee, “I like boys” which his son wrote.

When the father returns, you see the son is devastated. The father picks up his son’s coffee cup and writes “I accept that you like boys”. The commercial ends with a voice saying “Let there be more warmth in conversations”.

Watch the commercial below.

Wow. What a moving commercial. This is definitely NOT the type of commercial we are used to seeing from McDonald’s. It’s interesting that the popular fast-food joint would touch upon some a topic (especially in a country where gay marriage is illegal) and as expected not everyone is supporting or reacting well to the ad.

Some religious groups in Taiwan are trying to launch a boycott, pointing out that McDonald’s is frequented by children and they do not support them being exposed to the messaging.

What do you think?

Do you support McDonald’s for their message of acceptance and unconditional love or do you think the restaurant shouldn’t get involved in social issues?