I Love and Support This Pro-Choice Italian Ice

On Tuesday, one brave, heroic, resilient resident of Philadelphia out-Philadelphia’d themselves by wearing a Rita’s Italian Ice mascot costume to the abortion rights protest held near city hall. They were simply doing their due diligence—as a person who believes in human rights; who recognizes the unequivocally unconstitutional and unethical abortion bans that have been instituted in states like Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Ohio; and as a lover of wodder ice—to contribute to the nationwide Stop the Bans Day of Action. My eyes lit up with pride upon seeing the image of this absolute luminary, as someone who once lived in the city of brotherly love and enjoys basic autonomy over my body, but apparently Rita’s corporate office did not feel similarly.

According to CBS 3 Philly, the Italian Ice chain has begun responding to anti-choice nitwits on Twitter to tell them the person “misappropriated the Ice Guy outfit” by holding an ACLU “STOP TRYING TO BAN ABORTION” sign at the protest. The message (which I won’t link to here, on principle) reads:

“The participation in the protest today in Philadelphia was not sanctioned by Rita’s Italian Ice. A franchisee’s employee misappropriated the Ice Guy outfit and went to the protest. Rita’s Italian Ice is not an active participant in the abortion discussion.”

That’s wack. Guess it’s back to John’s Water Ice for me.