UK retailer Tesco has pulled an inflatable "gay best friend" doll from its website.
The product had been listed with the term "gay" censored "g*y" and was suggested for recipients…between the ages of 3 and 4 years old, although its description deemed it appropriate for bachelorette parties.
It read:
“Your inflatable g*y Best Friend is ready to give you fashion advice, tell you if your bum looks big and b**ch about everyone who doesn't wear Jimmy Choos.”
Said Stonewall Chief Executive Ben Summerskill to HuffPost UK:
"This is like trying to sell ice to Eskimos. We can't imagine why any woman would choose to buy an inflatable gay best friend when there are two million of the real thing already available in modern Britain and most of them are much better looking than Tesco's pale imitation."
Tesco explained, after pulling the item:
“This product was uploaded to the website by a third party seller but was removed from sale immediately because we found it offensive. The webpage should have been removed at that time and we are looking into why it is still visible two months later. We have very clear guidelines for third party sellers who list items on our website, and are very sorry that on this occasion they weren't followed.”