Virgin Trains' social team hits back at criticism of its LGBTQ+ Ride With Pride campaign
Virgin Trains East Coast has responded to criticism of the wider brand's 'Ride With Pride' campaign with some sassy comments on social media.
Virgin Trains has rebranded some trains to 'trainbows' as part of it's campaign
To show solidarity with the month-long LGBTQ+ Pride event, the train company has added the rainbow flag and #Trainbow to its logo, as well as rolling out a rainbow-coloured 'Pride Train'.
However some consumers have not responded to the campaign with the same enthusiasm.
One Facebook user asked why the brand doesn't celebrate heterosexuality in the same way, to which an employee named KM replied: “When your love is illegal in multiple countries and you've been beaten to death for holding hands with your partner in the street, then we can talk about celebrating Straight Pride Steven.”
Another commenter called the campaign a "publicity stunt" to which KM responded: "Yes, supporting the rights of people in the LGBTQ+ community is just a publicity stunt, and not because we are decent human beings Rory with a large and diverse workforce."
Speaking to The Drum, a spokesperson for the train brand said the response was organic and a choice made by the employee, although it was one the brand believes in.
Virgin Trains has also created a map highlight Pride events along the West Coast.
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Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group that has operated the InterCity West Coast franchise since 9 March 1997.
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