Ben and Jerry’s is banning customers from ordering two scoops of the same flavor in its 26 stores in Australia as an act of protest against the country’s gay-marriage ban.
“Imagine heading down to your local Scoop Shop to order your favourite two scoops of Cookie Dough in a waffle cone. But you find out you are not allowed – Ben & Jerry’s has banned two scoops of the same flavour. You’d be furious!” the Vermont-based ice cream company said in a press release Wednesday.
“But this doesn’t even begin to compare to how furious you would be if you were told you were not allowed to marry the person you love,” it said. “So we are banning two scoops of the same flavor and encouraging our fans to contact their MPs to tell them that the time has come – make marriage equality legal! Love comes in all flavours!”
Ben & Jerry’s called Australia’s federal Marriage Act, which bans same-sex marriages, a “woefully dated” law that should be changed immediately.
“We are proud to be standing alongside The Equality Campaign to continue the fight for marriage equality in Australia,” Imogen Rugg, Ben & Jerry’s Australia spokesperson, said in a statement to The Huffington Post. “Ben & Jerry’s has a long and proud history of commitment to social justice, including LGBTQI rights and marriage equality. This commitment is grounded in our company’s core values and an unshakable belief that everyone deserves full and equal civil rights.”
As a result, customers will no longer be able to order two scoops of their favorite flavor in Australia. Post boxes will be set up at each store so customers can write letters demanding marriage equality to their MPs. Ben and Jerry’s promised to deliver the letters before the final parliamentary session on June 13.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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