MATADOR TO ADVERTISE GAY DRINK

A little know Spanish matador has courted controversy by agreeing to advertise a gay energy drink on his cape.

Joselito Ortega will promote Gay Up, which is targeted at gay men, while he battles bulls in the ring. The name of the drink will be embroidered on his cape in large red letters.

Most of the criticism directed at Ortega is less about the drink and its target market than the fact that he is breaking with tradition. While bullfighters often sign endorsement deals for products and appear in advertisements, it is extremely unusual for this to extend into promoting a brand directly in the ring.

“I am a bullfighter. That is not going to change. I am going to go out into the ring as I have done until now, to risk my life, and the seven goring wounds on my body prove that,” Ortega told the Associated Press.

“If the gay community welcomes me as an image or a symbol, that is fine,” he said.