Gay marriage: Ben and Jerry’s launch ‘Apple-y Ever After’ in UK campaign

When Vermont legalized gay marriage in 2009, local ice cream producer Ben and Jerry’s celebrated, changing the name of their flavor Chubby Hubby — a popular mix of fudge-covered, peanut-butter-filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream with fudge and peanut butter — to Hubby Hubby.

In the UK, they are going a step further, announcing that they have renamed their Apple Pie flavor “Apple-y Ever After” in the hopes of nudging British lawmakers into legalizing same-sex marriage.

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The British government on Thursday launched a 12-week consultation which the Religion News Service said is “widely expected to lead to the legalization of same-sex marriage in Engliand and Wales.”

In a statement posted to their website, the company’s UK subsidiary announced: “Social justice is at the core of our values. Since our humble beginning 34 years ago, Ben & Jerry's has been an advocate for equal rights. (Did you know we were one of the first companies in the US back in 1993 that widened our health & employment benefits umbrella to recognize unmarried domestic partners regardless of their sexual orientation?).”

In addition to the new flavor, the company is encouraging visitors to “marry” each other using a new Facebook app and providing a standard letter to members of parliament that urges enactment of a law creating marriage equality in Britain.

“This is an issue I feel strongly about, as the inequality within our current marriage law is clear discrimination against the gay community. I believe marriage should be equal, with all those who wish to marry their partner, able to do so,” the letter says.

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According to The Los Angeles Times, the carton shows a picture of two men in tuxedoes standing on a wedding cake.