Rooster CCO Takes Leave Amid Possible Boycott Over Transphobia

By Shawn Paul Wood 

Yes, everyone has the right to an opinion. Many of them, in fact. And yet, the airing of those opinions in public may have adverse effects on one’s career. Who knew?!

Gavin McInnes, chief creative officer of Rooster in New York, has been asked to take “an indefinite leave of absence” following the publication of a post he wrote on transphobia — or fear of transgender people — and how it is, of course, the most “natural” thing in all the world.

Although the post is still available online in various places, the fact that this is what happens when you click on the main link to Thought Catalog hints at the problem behind McInnes’ post:

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CCO Rooster Tumblr Post

Transphobia is Perfectly Natural” has currently earned close to 4,000 comments, most of which have provided McInnes with hours of reading pleasure.

This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, least of all Rooster: the co-founder of Vice once specialized in insulting random pedestrians, and his taste for vitriol has been evident in recent contributions to Thought Catalog and Fox News.

Yet he does make ads, too: he’s best known for the Vans series that provided the modern man with such invaluable lessons as “how to fight a baby“, “how to piss in public” and “how to survive in prison.

According to Adweek, the post created a bit of unwanted attention for Rooster:

“It has also sparked a ‘Boycott Rooster’ movement, with Tumblr and Twitter accounts asking followers to let Rooster clients—Vans, Red Bull, Fox Sports and others—know they will not support companies that work with McInnes.”

McInnes has not been reached for comment, though we trust that we will hear from him soon enough.

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