The Solana Foundation has removed an advertisement that drew criticism for its portrayal of gender identity. This decision came approximately nine hours after the ad was published and has sparked notable backlash, particularly due to its use of provocative cultural themes aimed at increasing attendance at their conference.

The contentious advertisement presented a conceptual therapy session with a character embodying ‘America’ struggling with issues of innovation versus gender-focused dialogue.

Quote from the deleted Solana ad: “America, numbers are non-binary,” was emphasized by a therapist during the ad, reflecting the underlying tensions in current political debates on gender.

This incident is particularly striking as the Solana Foundation, headquartered in Switzerland, previously upheld diversity as part of its core principles. The ad has been criticized as both offensively pandering and misleading.

The controversial promotion follows Solana’s recent conference in Singapore, which had a clear code of conduct stressing inclusivity and the prohibition of intimidation based on gender and identity. The foundation’s apparent shift towards using politically charged messages raises concerns regarding future positioning and might affect its standing in the predominantly bipartisan crypto landscape.

As the discourse around gender and politics continues to intertwine with the crypto industry, the implications of such advertising strategies could lead to a reducing bipartisan support for cryptocurrencies.