June was National Pride Month (yay!), and throughout the month I’ve noticed a ton of news stories popping up about LBGT in advertising. Recently, brands including Chobani, Tylenol, and Airbnb have debuted ads focusing around LBGT relationships – ads which were done beautifully. They each have all the feels including love, family, and happiness, and are heartwarming to watch.
My question is: in 2015, why is this news? Why are brand names making headlines over acknowledging and celebrating the idea of “alternative” relationships. I’m torn between feeling excited and annoyed by this. Do I think all types of couples deserve widespread respect and recognition? Absolutely. Do I think its newsworthy that Chobani featured a lesbian couple instead of a straight one in their new ad? Not really.
I accept and admire all types of relationships wholeheartedly, as do many others, but I think that patting these brands on the back for showcasing LBGT couples is doing the community a disservice. We want these relationships to be part of the norm, but by being in awe or shocked and declaring it newsworthy that mainstream companies would feature same-sex couples creates a divide and, in actuality, separates them from ever becoming the standard.
Let’s continue supporting the LBGT community by including them in mainstream media but also try not to stare and point once they get there. #RantOver #EqualityForAll.
~ Samantha Banner, Account Coordinator, The S3 Agency
