To a certain powerful media mogul, Guinness has left a bitter taste in his mouth.
After the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York refused to reverse its ban on the public expression of gay pride, the popular beer company decided to withdraw from the event.
“Guinness has a strong history of supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all,” the brewer, based in Norwalk, Conn., said on Sunday in a statement.
Gay rights organizations cheered the decision.
“Today, Guinness sent a strong message to its customers and employees: Discrimination should never be celebrated,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, the president of Glaad (formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).
Not everyone was applauding, though. Here’s what conservative business mogul Rupert Murdoch had to say on Twitter:
Where will this end? Guinness pulls out of religious parade bullied by gay orgs who try to take it over. Hope all Irish boycott the stuff
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) March 17, 2014
Most of the replies to his tweet were from angry respondents - one user even calling him a “racist, homophobic granddad.” But, what do you think? Is Murdoch intolerant? Or, is he right to suggest beer lovers should reject Guinness for succumbing to pressure from gay rights groups?