A new McDonald's commercial will be aired in France, which features a teenage boy sitting on a table while talking on a mobile phone and looking at a class picture as his father orders food on the counter.

In the ad, the boy says in French: "I was thinking about you too ... I'm looking at our class picture."

His father returns to the table with their meal, sees the photograph, and comments: "It's a shame you're in an all boys college. You would have had all the girls chasing you."

The boy just smiles as the message "Come as you are" is shown on the bottom of the screen.

Gay supporters have called the new ad a "big step forward".

"It depicts a young gay man realistically and without judgement and it includes gay people in an institution that, for many families, is an integral part of their everyday life," according to Rodney Croome, spokesperson of the Australian Coalition for Equality.

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"If McDonalds' aim was to make an ad which says 'everybody is welcome' then it has succeeded and I'd strongly urge McDonalds in Australia to do the same."

However, other advocates criticised the ad.

"What does being gay have to do with eating hamburgers?," gay activist Garry Burns said.

"The ad should have a more inclusive message based around tolerance and understanding for gay men and lesbians in society in general and not just in McDonald's hamburger joints."

As of the moment, McDonald's Australia tells ninemsn that plans to do a local version of the commercial have not been made.

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