Valentine’s Day is a holiday about love no matter who you are.

Adidas shared an advertisement on Valentine’s Day that showed the lower half of two women wearing Adidas shoes. The controversial part is that one woman is standing on her tiptoes, implying they are kissing out of the frame. The caption for the picture was, “The love you take is equal to the love you make.”

Love is love and it should be equal for everyone no matter the genders of people in relationships. I see no problem if two people of the same sex love each other just as I don’t see a problem if two people of the same gender are used in a romantic ad. If a man and a woman can love each other, there should not be a stigma or difference for same-sex couples. Homosexuals should not be frowned upon for expressing themselves like heterosexual people do, especially now that same-sex marriage has been legal in all 50 states for almost a year.

People who are not in favor of homosexuality of course commented nasty things after Adidas posted its picture on social media. It reached a point where people began saying they were going to buy from Nike. Those people did not know Nike has released a rainbow clad shoe in support of gay rights.

The greatest thing is Adidas didn’t care about the bashing its was receiving. The company has its beliefs, and it’s not as if gay love is illegal.

A person posted a comment on Instagram in all caps: “Wtf Adidas???? This day is for boy and girl, when they are couple. Not for lesbians, stupid Adidas,” Metro reported. 

 

Now, even if this person would have written with some grammatical knowledge, I would still disagree with his statement.

“No, this day is for LOVE. Happy Valentine’s Day,” Adidas commented back to the person.

The person in charge of the Adidas account on Instagram not only replied politely and correctly but advertised to everyone that the company supports gay rights without shame.

Since when is Valentine’s Day directed toward one type of relationship? It is about love, and anyone can feel love.

Adidas’s Stan Smith, Adilette Slide and Superstar shoes are being designed with rainbow colors through lines, paint splashes and shoelaces. A portion of the sales will be donated to Portland’s New Avenues for Youth, an organization in Oregon that helps homeless LGBT teenagers.

A total of 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT, according to The Williams Institute, and 42 percent of LGBT youth say their community is not accepting. LGBT youth are also twice as likely as their peers to be assaulted. These kind of numbers are not acceptable, which is why the actions being taken by Adidas and other influential companies are steps in the right direction for equal love.

Nike and Levi’s started the idea of adding rainbow colors to their products for gay pride month in June, which is the same time Adidas will launch its Pride Packs. In 1992, Adidas was the first company to offer benefits to employees who are part of a same-sex couple, according to Huffington Post.

In 2014, Adidas also offered men’s and women’s sizes in a T-shirt that prints the brand’s name on the front in rainbow colors, and the back reads, “Pride 2014.” In 2013, Nike celebrated Gay Pride month with its #BeTrue shoe, which had rainbow colors designed on the shoe, the Huffington Post reported.

I think it is great brand names are advertising gay rights. Social media is how trends start, and I believe gay rights should be a trend of human rights.

From ads printed in magazines to ads that play before online videos and on TV, advertisements play a prominent role in daily life. And while nothing may appear to be wrong with them, only portraying heterosexual couples as the norm is discriminatory. Adidas and these other companies are simply starting to break down the barriers of relationships, and the public should support this particular ad and others that will come in the future.