- The Washington Times - Tuesday, May 31, 2016

A new Absolut Vodka commercial features a man overcoming his discomfort of his friend’s new gender identity.

The 60-second spot released this month shows a man dancing at a party, when he recognizes his friend, Dave, dressed as a woman.

“Then I turned around and saw Dave, only it wasn’t the Dave I remembered,” the man in the ad recounts. “He told me his name was Darla now. I tried to make an excuse to get away.”

Darla and the narrator end up dancing the night away, tossing back Absolut-inspired cocktails, taking goofy pictures in a photo booth and having heart-to-heart conversations on multiple perambulations.

“We walked, and she told me she always felt this way,” the narrator says. “I just listened, and somehow I understood.”

“Later, the two of us took a walk, and we watched the sun come up,” he continues. “She talked about her journey. She was my friend — the same person, the same heart.”

“She hadn’t changed; I had. Thanks for bringing me back, Darla.”

• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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