Infidelitas
June 1st, 2011, 03:18 AM
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/06/01/234605_todays-news.html
ADVERTISING company Adshel has bowed to an online backlash against its decision to pull down billboards promoting safe sex after it was accused of homophobia.
More than 25,000 people joined a "Rip and Roll'' Facebook support group after their safe sex advertisement targeting gay men was pulled down from Brisbane bus stops.
The Queensland Association for Healthy Communities started the group after Adshel - the company that provides advertising for Brisbane's bus shelters - buckled to pressure from the Christian lobby and removed the ad featuring an image of a gay couple embracing, holding an unopened red condom packet.
Announcing their backflip this afternoon, the company said it had changed its mind because it did not realise it had been subjected to a campaign from the Australian Christian Lobby to remove the posters.
“Following ACL Queensland director Wendy Francis’ acknowledgement that the complaints received by Adshel, Brisbane City Council and the Advertising Standards Bureau regarding QAHC’s campaign have been orchestrated by the Australian Christian Lobby, Adshel is reinstating the ‘Rip and Roll’ campaign," a company press release said.
"Adshel earlier responded to a series of complaints by removing the campaign from its media panels yesterday. None of the complaints indicated any liaison with the ACL, so Adshel was made to believe that they originated from individual members of the public.”
Adshel CEO Steve McCarthy said in a statement: “It has now become clear that Adshel has been the target of a coordinated ACL campaign. This has led us to review our decision to remove the campaign and we will therefore reinstate the campaign with immediate effect.”
The "Homophobia - NOT HERE - Adshel Caves to Homophobic Pressure" Facebook campaign generated a big public response after Michael James - who appeared in the ad with his partner - asked the public to join their petition.
A group of about 20 people gathered to protest outside Adshel's office on Agnes St in Fortitude Valley today, chanting "equal rights, equal love, equal people".
"Adshel have, without the consent of QAHC, removed all of our advertisements due to Wendy Francis and The Australian Christian Lobby Group. Adshel has bowed to blatant homophobia and in 2011 there is no place for this," he said.
"The image displays not only love and tenderness; you can clearly see our engagement ring and the Christian cross which (partner) Anthony wears around his neck.
"We are real people, and this campaign is about real people we have been together for 6½ years, engaged since August last year, just last week we were approved to become foster parents.''
The Facebook group has asked users to upload the controversial picture as their account profile in protest.
The Australian Christian Lobby this morning denied their response to Queensland Association for Healthy Community's campaign was homophobic.
Australian Christian Lobby's Wendy Francis said complaints over the condom advertisement were not against gay people.
Ms Francis said she didn't want her children confronted by sexual imagery at bus stops.
She said the initial decision by Adshel to remove the ads was a win for parents and children.
"They (the ads) show two young homosexual men in some sort of act of foreplay," Ms Francis said.
"It's talking about a sexual act and I don't think that's appropriate for the general public.
"If something's not allowed in a children's timeslot on TV, I don't think you should put it on a billboard or where children are waiting for the school bus."
High-profile supporters of the ad campaign include comedian Josh Thomas, who tweeted a scathing rejoinder to Ms Francis.
"Wendy Francis thinks hugging is foreplay. Remember that if you see her hugging her kids," he tweeted.
The lobby group targeted advertising company Adshel design ads for Brisbane's bus shelters; Goa Billboards; and the Advertising Standards Bureau.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the council was not responsible for pulling down the advertising, which he believed carried an important message.
"I think the message of health is an important message,'' Cr Quirk said.
"Was the advertising provocative? Well some might suggest that it was, but the message is the important thing and I think that message is very important. It may well be that the ad may be revised, I don't know.
"I don't personally have an issue with it."
Healthy Communities executive director Paul Martin said it was extremely disheartening that Adshel had buckled in the first place.
"Those of us who have been around fighting HIV in Queensland for a while will remember this kind of reaction from days gone by," he told AAP.
"We certainly don't expect it in 2011."
ACL was trying to have gay people "erased from the public sphere", Mr Martin said.
"It's an extreme minority of people who are very well organised and are able to launch this kind of action," he said.
"The vast majority of Queenslanders support gay and lesbian rights."
Ms Francis was last year forced to apologise publicly after a Tweet likening gay marriage to legalising child abuse.
Then a Family First candidate for the Senate, she claimed the Tweet was sent from her office, but not by her.
Healthy Communities said 2010 saw a higher number of people diagnosed with HIV than at any time since testing began in the mid-1980s.
With 65 per cent of those diagnoses among gay men, it was more important than ever to talk openly about safe sex, it said.
The organiser of the Fortitude Valley protest, Michael O'Brien, said a Facebook event advertising the protest was set up about 8pm last night.
He called for an apology from Adshel and the Christian groups opposing the ad.
-Anna Chisholm, Sarah Vogler, Yolande Schefe and AAP
ADVERTISING company Adshel has bowed to an online backlash against its decision to pull down billboards promoting safe sex after it was accused of homophobia.
More than 25,000 people joined a "Rip and Roll'' Facebook support group after their safe sex advertisement targeting gay men was pulled down from Brisbane bus stops.
The Queensland Association for Healthy Communities started the group after Adshel - the company that provides advertising for Brisbane's bus shelters - buckled to pressure from the Christian lobby and removed the ad featuring an image of a gay couple embracing, holding an unopened red condom packet.
Announcing their backflip this afternoon, the company said it had changed its mind because it did not realise it had been subjected to a campaign from the Australian Christian Lobby to remove the posters.
“Following ACL Queensland director Wendy Francis’ acknowledgement that the complaints received by Adshel, Brisbane City Council and the Advertising Standards Bureau regarding QAHC’s campaign have been orchestrated by the Australian Christian Lobby, Adshel is reinstating the ‘Rip and Roll’ campaign," a company press release said.
"Adshel earlier responded to a series of complaints by removing the campaign from its media panels yesterday. None of the complaints indicated any liaison with the ACL, so Adshel was made to believe that they originated from individual members of the public.”
Adshel CEO Steve McCarthy said in a statement: “It has now become clear that Adshel has been the target of a coordinated ACL campaign. This has led us to review our decision to remove the campaign and we will therefore reinstate the campaign with immediate effect.”
The "Homophobia - NOT HERE - Adshel Caves to Homophobic Pressure" Facebook campaign generated a big public response after Michael James - who appeared in the ad with his partner - asked the public to join their petition.
A group of about 20 people gathered to protest outside Adshel's office on Agnes St in Fortitude Valley today, chanting "equal rights, equal love, equal people".
"Adshel have, without the consent of QAHC, removed all of our advertisements due to Wendy Francis and The Australian Christian Lobby Group. Adshel has bowed to blatant homophobia and in 2011 there is no place for this," he said.
"The image displays not only love and tenderness; you can clearly see our engagement ring and the Christian cross which (partner) Anthony wears around his neck.
"We are real people, and this campaign is about real people we have been together for 6½ years, engaged since August last year, just last week we were approved to become foster parents.''
The Facebook group has asked users to upload the controversial picture as their account profile in protest.
The Australian Christian Lobby this morning denied their response to Queensland Association for Healthy Community's campaign was homophobic.
Australian Christian Lobby's Wendy Francis said complaints over the condom advertisement were not against gay people.
Ms Francis said she didn't want her children confronted by sexual imagery at bus stops.
She said the initial decision by Adshel to remove the ads was a win for parents and children.
"They (the ads) show two young homosexual men in some sort of act of foreplay," Ms Francis said.
"It's talking about a sexual act and I don't think that's appropriate for the general public.
"If something's not allowed in a children's timeslot on TV, I don't think you should put it on a billboard or where children are waiting for the school bus."
High-profile supporters of the ad campaign include comedian Josh Thomas, who tweeted a scathing rejoinder to Ms Francis.
"Wendy Francis thinks hugging is foreplay. Remember that if you see her hugging her kids," he tweeted.
The lobby group targeted advertising company Adshel design ads for Brisbane's bus shelters; Goa Billboards; and the Advertising Standards Bureau.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the council was not responsible for pulling down the advertising, which he believed carried an important message.
"I think the message of health is an important message,'' Cr Quirk said.
"Was the advertising provocative? Well some might suggest that it was, but the message is the important thing and I think that message is very important. It may well be that the ad may be revised, I don't know.
"I don't personally have an issue with it."
Healthy Communities executive director Paul Martin said it was extremely disheartening that Adshel had buckled in the first place.
"Those of us who have been around fighting HIV in Queensland for a while will remember this kind of reaction from days gone by," he told AAP.
"We certainly don't expect it in 2011."
ACL was trying to have gay people "erased from the public sphere", Mr Martin said.
"It's an extreme minority of people who are very well organised and are able to launch this kind of action," he said.
"The vast majority of Queenslanders support gay and lesbian rights."
Ms Francis was last year forced to apologise publicly after a Tweet likening gay marriage to legalising child abuse.
Then a Family First candidate for the Senate, she claimed the Tweet was sent from her office, but not by her.
Healthy Communities said 2010 saw a higher number of people diagnosed with HIV than at any time since testing began in the mid-1980s.
With 65 per cent of those diagnoses among gay men, it was more important than ever to talk openly about safe sex, it said.
The organiser of the Fortitude Valley protest, Michael O'Brien, said a Facebook event advertising the protest was set up about 8pm last night.
He called for an apology from Adshel and the Christian groups opposing the ad.
-Anna Chisholm, Sarah Vogler, Yolande Schefe and AAP