Hatred exists in many shapes and forms, but no form of hatred grinds my gears quite like bigotry. In such a supposedly enlightened age, despising another person simply because their beliefs or lifestyle don't align with yours should be completely unacceptable and I have no time for anyone who believes otherwise. Thankfully, ad land is an environment largely devoid of such baseless hatred, and to prove as much, two of the world's biggest agencies are taking a stand against homophobia in two very different ways, one of which might actually end up turning a few stomachs, so if you're a little queazy when it comes to other people's hair, you might want to look away now.
Ogilvy
Today (March 25) marks Brazil's National Gay Pride Day, a day set to attract a larger crowd than ever before, with people from all walks of life set to gather for this year's Gay Pride Parade and rally together against the nation's indoctrinated homophobia. The parade (which is sure to be a dazzling affair) will be aired on a number of radio broadcasters across the country via a 24-hour program, which will include playlists featuring openly gay artists. The initiative was created by Ogilvy Brazil for Billboard Brasil Magazine, and intends to raise awareness of the importance of saying “No” to homophobia through music and forming a united coalition against prejudice. The playlist will be handpicked with the help of the Billboard staff, and will include some of the most influential, openly gay artists in the music scene from Brazil and beyond. The program will begin transmission at 8AM (11AM GMT) on Transamérica (100,1FM in São Paulo), before moving onto Continental FM, Super Nova and Atlântida (Southern Brazil), Cidade FM, and 98 FM (Minas Gerais), among others based in several states. The hope is to cover the largest number of radio broadcasters possible, so that taken together, their ratings could reach million of listeners, making it the largest Gay Pride march in the world!
The initiative was created by Ogilvy Brazil for Billboard Brazil Magazine, and intends to raise awareness of the importance of saying “No” to homophobia
Throughout the program, listeners will be informed on the severe issue of prejudice and violence against homosexuals, with shocking examples, such as the fact that every 28 hours, a new fatal victim of homophobia is reported, with 70% of these crimes going unpunished. In addition to the show itself, the march also intends to mobilise the support of local citizens through social networks and other means. A Facebook fan page has been created solely to host spontaneous testimonials and share relevant information on the subject, with allies asked to share the hashtag #CaleAHomofobia to their posts.
Today (March 25) marks Brazil's National Gay Pride Day, a day set to attract a larger crowd than ever before
Antonio Camarotti, CEO at Billboard Brasil, said “This cause is driven by the noblest of aspirations,” and adds that “Billboard not only supports this action, but shuns prejudice of any sort.” He stresses, however, that “To make it succeed, all Brazilians must sign up for the efforts,” and that, whilst the march will begin on the radio, “It will go whenever people lead it.” Aricio Fortes, creative VP at Ogilvy Brazil, adds that “The influence of gay artists on music is off scale, but ironically, most people who perpetuate homophobia are fans of these artists.” He uses the example of Freddie Mercury, a towering figure in popular music (and pop culture in general) who was openly gay, yet commanded an incredibly broad following. He said the agency genuinely believes that “Music has the power to silence homophobia,” and is putting it's money very much where it's mouth is with this initiative.
Saatchi
In related news, the world’s first and only “Gay” sweater, knitted from the donated hair of more than 100 LGBT people, will be making its début during Toronto Fashion Week. Appearing ahead of this summer’s upcoming Pride Week celebrations in Toronto, New York, San Francisco and London, The “Gay Sweater” was created to make people everywhere understand how offensive it is to use the term to negatively describe something. Personally, I haven't heard anyone refer to an object as “Gay” since I was in high school, but then I do keep good company (or at least I like to think I do). #TheGaySweater is an initiative created by Saatchi & Saatchi Canada with the The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD), and is accompanied by a short film (below) that lends a voice to those who have been affected by the misuse of the word “Gay.” It also shows the process that went into creating the sweater (which actually looks pretty damn comfy!).
A sweater knitted from the donated hair of more than 100 LGBT people, will be making its début during Toronto Fashion Week
The Gay Sweater
Jeremy Dias, director of the CCGSD, said, “The idea for the sweater was born from a desire to educate and encourage everyone to use ‘gay’ the correct way.” He added that they “Want the conversation that surrounds the gay sweater to inspire those who are using ‘gay’ in a detrimental way to both realise the negative impact their words and actions are having and change their behaviour.” Readers can follow that conversation and all sweater-related content on the website and by searching the hashtag #TheGaySweater.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK. In case you haven't already realised, bigotry really pisses him off. So does cling film.
