Saturday, March 3, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Finally, a social use for QR codes
From Leo Burnett Warsaw.
Labels:
ad spotlight,
digital,
international,
products
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Fame Friday - Making its Return on BrandFabulousness
"It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations." -Christine Gregoire
Labels:
Fame Friday,
history,
human rights,
marriage,
quotes
Saturday, February 18, 2012
"Time"
I'm so happy over the progress made recently with advancing toward marriage equality in Washington and Maryland, but so angry over what just happened in New Jersey that I wrote this poem to express this unique feeling of excitement and anger:
Time
Do they know
How it feels
When a stranger can pull a lever
And cancel your wedding
What are they forgetting
When one man can veto your dreams
To further his career
When your hopes are so near
But rest on a popularity contest
Do they know the difference
Between their blind faith
And our deserved place
In a society that promised us humanity
Yet we settle for this insanity
Our rights to life
Liberty
The pursuit of happiness
Are passing us
Can’t they see through the stained glass
Of those houses that profit from spreading false fear
Can’t they hear
Our silent cries
The plight of our pride
The meaning inside
What kind of liberty is this
When they can deny our existence
Exclude us from chapter 14
And frame it a political scene
How can they be so selfish
The struggle may be different
Than in 1967 from those who were black
Of our mothers and grandmothers from 92 years back
But our dreams are the same
And all that stands between us
Is time
Because we have a voice
Because we have a say
They’ll tear us down again
But we won’t go away
One day they’ll look back
In history in shock
But that day will come sooner
The more we stand up and talk
So come my brothers
And sisters
Even further on out
Let’s get mad
Let’s get together
Let’s scream and let’s shout
Take your passion from every pride parade past
And live it and breathe it each day – to the max
I know we can do it
I know we’ll be fine
But let’s hurry because
It’s about time
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Illinois Launches LGBT Tourism Site
Illinois tourism officials have launched a website dedicated to promoting LGBT tourism in the state. The site lists resources available throughout the state as well as recommendations on the best places to eat, play, shop, and stay. Its clear the cash-strapped state is looking for its share of the gay dollar – the average LGBT person in the U.S. spends $1,974 a year on leisure travel.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Whitney Houston: 1963-2012
The world has lost an icon, and tonight's Grammy Awards will surely be one to remember. Rumor has it that Jennifer Hudson is pulling together a performance to honor Whitney in time for tonight's big show. Here are my favorites from one of my favorite artists all all time.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
JCPenny Stands by Ellen Degeneres as New Spokesperson
As part of a corporate rebranding, JCPenny recently redesigned their logo (shown) and hired Ellen Degeneres as their new spokesperson. The latter decision didn't sit well with the social conservative group "One Million Moms," who started a vicious campaign to try and get JCPenny to change their minds. Well, they're not changing their minds, and Ellen took some time out of her show the other day to respond:
And JCPenny's CEO, Ron Johnson, reiterated their stance in support of Ellen this morning on CBS. Click here to watch.
And JCPenny's CEO, Ron Johnson, reiterated their stance in support of Ellen this morning on CBS. Click here to watch.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional (Again)
Read the full decision here:
Ninth Circuit Prop. 8 decision
Ninth Circuit Prop. 8 decision
Labels:
good news,
history,
human rights,
marriage,
San Francisco
Friday, February 3, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Superbowl Infographic
Here's a cool infographic on the SuperBowl, just in time for the big event next weekend. As usual, I don't know who's playing, but I know who's advertising and who's performing at halftime.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Gays and Lesbians Leading the Nation in Mobile Internet Usage
Some new data was just published showing that gays and lesbians are among the leading groups in the nation when it comes to mobile internet usage. And no, hours spent on Grindr was not one of the survey metrics. It turns out that we're more likely than the general population to own Smartphones, and more than twice as likely to make purchases from them. In fact, in the past week, 28% of us have made a purchase using our Smartphone, 63% of us have found info on a local business using it, and 36% of us have used it to receive or redeem deals or specials like Groupons. The data was published in 5th Annual LGBT Community Survey by Community Marketing, Inc., which can be found here.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tel Aviv: The Next Big Gay Tourism Spot
That's right, Tel Aviv is emerging as an iconic international gay vacation destination. Did you know that Tel Aviv hosts the largest pride parade in Asia? Or that it was named by Out Magazine as the gay capital of the middle east? Or that the city devotes more than a third of its marketing budget to attracting LGBT tourists with campaigns like this one? Or that gays serve openly in Israel's military? I didn't. Here's an interesting article to learn more.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Fortune Best Companies List Hits LGBT Milestone
For the first time in history, all companies on Fortune's best 100 companies to work for list have sexual orientation nondiscrimination policies. Google tops the list.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Washington Governor To Introduce Marriage Equality Bill
For those who haven't seen this yet, it's worth watching - Washington Governor Chris Gregoire gives a beautifully articulate speech in support of marriage equality. This is perhaps the best example I've seen so far of someone utilizing my recommended strategy of focusing on the license itself and pointing out how legalizing government-issued marriage licenses in no way forces a church to marry a gay couple. Bravo.
A Call for Digital Activism from Edna Jean Robinson
Oh how I miss seeing her perform at JR's in Dallas. Kudos to her for this inspiring video.
Labels:
activism,
Gen Y,
human rights,
ignorance,
leadership
Thursday, December 29, 2011
LAN Airlines Launches LGBT Site
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
New Study: Openly Gay Applicants 40% Less Likely to Get Job Interviews
Openly gay applicants are 40 percent less likely to be granted an interview than their heterosexual counterparts, according to a study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Sociology. The study was the first of its kind to test the receptiveness of employers to gay male job applicants. It sent two fictitious resumes to more than 1,700 entry-level, white collar job openings in the U.S. The resumes were nearly identical, except each mentioned a different affiliation with a school organization. Read more here.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
New study on how gays and lesbians perceive advertising
A new study from the University of Miami interviewed 25 gay and lesbian Americans of different age, ethnic, and professional backgrounds on their reactions to commercials exemplifying dominant gay and lesbian portrayals.
According to the study, five specific strategies emerged within these minority consumers to interpret the messages catered to them:
Source: "How Minority Consumers Use Targeted Advertising as Pathways to Self-Empowerment: Gay Men's and Lesbians' Reading of Out-of-the-Closet Advertising" Journal of Advertising Vol. 40 No. 3 Fall 2011.
According to the study, five specific strategies emerged within these minority consumers to interpret the messages catered to them:
- Gay men accepted the perception of "higher disposable income of gay male households" and transformed material consumption into a definition of self-worth. "I was on many consumer panels because I fit the profile of gay men who have disposable income and travel a lot," one participant said.
- Participation in the mass market was equated to membership in mainstream society. "We got money. We contribute to the corporation. We contributed to big business. We got families. We are part of the mainstream now," a participant said.
- Targeted advertising was identified as an essential step in achieving social political inclusion. "Consumer rights and citizenship, civil rights are intricately connected in the United States […]. And when we express our identity as a consumer, that reinforces and strengthens our identity as a citizen," a participant said.
- Perpetuating problematic depictions of gays as effeminate men or lesbians as "sexualized femme" was tolerated in the interests of social inclusion. "I was ambivalent when watching this commercial. It's playing up the stereotype. But for me, if you can see gay people on TV in Texas, it's positive," one participant said.
- Participants were willing to give up something of their subcultural identity for the sake of total acceptance in society. "When we are truly accepted in the society, we will just blend in […] even that might mean sacrificing our uniqueness," a participant said.
Source: "How Minority Consumers Use Targeted Advertising as Pathways to Self-Empowerment: Gay Men's and Lesbians' Reading of Out-of-the-Closet Advertising" Journal of Advertising Vol. 40 No. 3 Fall 2011.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
The Cost of our Prison System
Here are some interesting facts on incarceration in the US, which costs taxpayers 60 Billion per year.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Marriage in Australia: It's Time
Here's a fantastic new ad from GetUp Action for Australia in support of marriage equality. Next week, Australia's Labor Party will decide their stance on the issue. To sign the petition, click here.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Group Urges Reframing the Marriage Equality Message
A group of high-profile Democrats and Republicans who back legalizing same-sex marriage are calling on advocates to shift the focus on the issue from an argument about equal rights to promoting the value of commitment. This is, in my opinion, an example of the need to speak in the language of your audience. While this might not be the politically correct approach in the minds of many in the LGBT community, it may certainly be the fastest. Staunch opponents of same-sex marriage either don't believe the LGBT community exists or believe being LGBT is a lifestyle choice - therefore the equality argument doesn't work since they see us as already having the same opportunity to marry somebody of the opposite sex. Hence why they always argue that we don't deserve "special rights." In essence, this new strategy is to seek equality without acknowledging that's what we're seeking. Read more here.
Friday, November 4, 2011
70 U.S. Companies Formally Oppose DOMA
70 U.S. businesses are part of an amicus brief opposing the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in Gill v. OPM. The companies point out that DOMA forces them to treat their employees differently based on their sexual orientation, and as a result, the businesses assume an administrative financial burden to correct the inequity. Here are some of those companies:
For the full list, click here.
Labels:
good news,
human rights,
leadership,
marriage
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