A German phone company is showing homophobes the door with its new ad campaign.

About two weeks ago, the Deutsche Telekom premiered the new advert for its reduced-price mobile plan for families.

The slogan is ‘If it feels like family, it is family.’

The TV and radio spots feature different family settings and layouts including a group of drag queens and a lesbian couple with their toddler.

‘Family has long been more than father, mother, child,’ Michael Schuld, the company’s marketing manager, told German magazine Horizont.

So to prove their family tariffs weren’t just for ‘classic’ families, the company decided to show once and for all that family comes in many different shapes, sized and constellations.

Upon its release, the campaign attracted a lot of positive feedback.

But on social media, those who see rainbow families as lesser and refuse to accept them as ‘real’ families have also been vocal.

Politician Beatrix von Storch, representing the staunchly conservative Alternative for Germany, called the Telekom crazy.

‘Fathers are irrelevant. Says the Telekom,’ she tweeted.

‘That’s just as insanely modern as it is insanely imbecile.’

Väter sind irrelevant. Sagt die Telekom. Das ist ebenso wahnsinnig modern wie wahnsinnig blödsinnig. https://t.co/Crby9lSdTE — Beatrix von Storch (@Beatrix_vStorch) February 14, 2017

Other replies also dripped with more or less concealed homophobia.

Das Bild zeigt keine Familie, sondern zwei Lesben, die sich bald trennen, mit einem zukünftig psychisch labilem Kind. @telekomerleben — ‏ﻦ plel ‏ﻦ (@plel) February 11, 2017

‘The image doesn’t show a family,’ one user said.

‘But two lesbians, who’ll soon separate, with a soon-to-be mentally unstable child.’

@telekomerleben Euer ernst ?? Zukunft nur mit homhehen und kindern aus’m reagenzglas ? Seid ihr auch für “deutschland verrecke” ? — 8abdulh8me (@8abdulh8me1) February 14, 2017

‘Are you serious,’ someone else wrote.

‘Future only with homo marriagr and test tube children? Are you supporting “Kick the bucket Germany”, too?’

Other users just insisted rainbow families were unnatural.

@telekomerleben Das ist keine Familie. Eine Familie sind Vater, Mutter und Kinder und nicht diese Phantasie! — JacobHetzel (@JacobHetzel) February 13, 2017

‘This is not a family,’ Jacob Hetzel tweeted.

‘A family are father, mother and children and not this fantasy.’

@telekomerleben also eine Familie besteht traditionell aus Vater, Mutter und Kind. Alles andere sind gleichgeschlechtliche Partnerschaften — Rock4ever (@_Mysterium_) February 14, 2017

‘Also, a family traditionally consists of father, mother, and child. Everything else are same-sex partnerships,’ another wrote.

And the homophobes even criticized the Telekom’s decision to only show a lesbian couple, but not two gay men with a child – suspecting they wanted to cover up pedophilia.

@telekomerleben Warum nicht 2 “Väter”? Weil Studien zeigen, dass diese Homos 12 X mehr gefährdet sind, Kinder zu missbrauchen, als Heteros? — Harry Schneider (@sevenjelo) February 14, 2017

‘Why not two fathers,’ a user going by Harry Schneider tweeted.

‘Because studies show that those homos are 12 x more at risk to abuse children than heteros?’

But they did not reckon with the Telekom’s social media team.

Over the past days, they have patiently, and sometimes wittily, been rebuking those who criticize them for their definition of family.

From addressing ‘concerns’ over the child’s wellbeing to simply telling people their idea of a family always consisting of father, mother, and child was outdated.

And one answer just sums it up very beautifully.

@baronofstone Das ist Familie. Gut ist. Die Werbefamilien der letzten Jahre sind jedenfalls unrealistischer und seltener. — Telekom erleben (@telekomerleben) February 11, 2017

‘This is family. End of,’ they said.

‘The advertising families of the last years are definitely more unrealistic and rarer.’