Center Parcs has announced it will no longer be advertising in the Daily Mail.
The decision was made after an article by columnist Richard Littlejohn, which appeared to criticise Olympic diver Tom Daley and his husband Dustin Lance Black.
The couple announced on Valentine’s Day that they are expecting their first child together. In response to this, Littlejohn claimed in the article, which appeared online, that children ‘benefit most from being raised by a man and a woman’.
After an advert for Center Parcs appeared in the same article, one Twitter user asked if the company would continue to ‘support homophobia’ by advertising with the Mail. Replying to the tweet, Center Parcs described the placement as ‘completely unacceptable’, explaining that they had immediately stopped advertising with the Mail as a result.
1/2 We take where we advertise very seriously and have a number of steps to prevent our advertising from appearing alongside inappropriate content. We felt this placement was completely unacceptable and therefore ceased advertising with the Daily Mail with immediate effect.
— Center Parcs UK (@CenterParcsUK) February 16, 2018
2/2 We apologise for any offence this may have caused. Clare
— Center Parcs UK (@CenterParcsUK) February 16, 2018
Littlejohn had written in the same article that he supported civil partnerships, explaining he would prefer a child to be fostered by gay couples rather than be ‘condemned to rot’ in state-run institutions.
He continued: ‘That said, and despite the fact that countless single parents do a fantastic job, I still cling to the belief that children benefit most from being brought up by a man and a woman.’
