Ford Responds to Homophobic Trolling With a Pride-Themed Ranger Raptor

The pickup appeared at a parade in Cologne

Ford logo
Ford logo seen on a parked Ford vehicle truck outside a Ford dealership in South Edmonton.
Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Sometimes, the internet can be a horrific and toxic place. It’s something that virtually anyone can experience when they’re online — and it turns out that major car companies are no exception. As The Advocate reported (via Yahoo!), Ford Germany recently unveiled a Ford Ranger Raptor in blue. It’s not the sort of thing that you’d expect to spark any sort of controversy, and yet.

Someone was so taken aback by this choice that they took to social media with a combination of righteous indignation and reactionary politics. “Well, that’s a cool car! — But that blue color is very Gay!! Hey Ford! Paint it in BlackNGold or camo!” the troll responded.

If they were annoyed by the idea of a Ranger Raptor in blue, one can only imagine their reaction to what came next.

Using the hashtag #VeryGayRaptor, Ford took to social media to show off a Ranger Raptor with a rainbow design and sparking gold paint, along with a heart design on the back.

Ford then debuted an IRL version of this Ranger Raptor at a Pride event in Cologne. As Ben Hsu reports at Autoblog, the #VeryGayRaptor appeared in the city’s Christopher Street Day parade. This marks the second time a custom Ford design did so in the parade, following in the footsteps of a 1997 Ka pickup.

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