An editor's ramblings on anything I damn well please

Homophobia doesn't hit the road

Posted by Drew Anderson in Drew's Views

 ****UPDATE****

Xtra confirms that this story isn't accurate. They were told differently by Virgin Mobile, but it's confirmed. Calgary Transit never placed the ad in the first place.

****UPDATE ****

There is some confusion as to whether CT did in fact pull the two men kissing ad. Waiting for confirmation from source quoted in Xtra story.

 

I don't want to say Calgary is a hick city with a homophobia problem. That wouldn't be fair. But Calgary is a hick city with a homophobia problem.

For gay pride, Fast Forward Weekly ran a cover with two men kissing. That week, I was constantly replacing the cover in our boxes spread through the centre city. Someone (or multiple people) was removing the paper in the front of the box, cleansing it of the image. It was also the least picked up copy of the paper in a four month breakdown.

Now, Calgary Transit is kicking it up a notch. It has yanked an ad from Virgin Mobile featuring two men kissing, citing complaints from the public. One ad featuring a heterosexual couple going for it will remain. (see Xtra's story here)

This is outrageous. How can that be reasonably explained? I wouldn't be surprised if some of the people complaining aren't even aware of their inherent homophobia.

This latest afront to respect for all comes hot on the heels of a Calgary Stampede funded survey that included this tasty little question: "The only acceptable definition of a family is a husband, wife and children." (see the CBC story here). What does that have to do with the Stampede? Do we only want rednecks coming to the party?

When our paper switched from sex columnist Josey Vogels to Dan Savage, who is openly gay, we received compaints. It seems Vogels could say whatever she wanted, but it was strange that as soon as a gay man was vocal, people all of a sudden found it offensive. But I'm sure there's no clear connectinon, that would be outrageous.

I'm not saying that this city is uniform in its disrespect. There are just as many Calgarians who vote for the other guys as there are Conservatives and conservatives. There are many who work towards social justice and who support the rights of people regardless of what they want to do in the bedroom.But this isn't about left and right. It's about right and wrong.

People should be outraged at this spineless decision by Calgary Transit.

 


more in Urban Living     |     posted Jan 7th, 2010 at 12:08pm     

Comments: 11

Leah* wrote:

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Drew. I am always amazed at people's ability to be offended by someone else's lifestyle. Who does that ad hurt? No one. Calgary TranShit should be ashamed of themselves for caving to what I hope amounted to a small group of complainers. After all, if they actually took people's complaints seriously our transit system wouldn't be the worst in the country!

on Jan 7th, 2010 at 12:46pm Report Abuse

nmccreary wrote:

In a way I am not surprised. This city's transit even thought the naked baby advert for the "Real Life" exhibit at Glenbow was too shocking and offensive.

on Jan 7th, 2010 at 1:12pm Report Abuse

Drew Anderson wrote:

Yeah, good point, that was weird. They're leaving the suggestive shot of a hetero couple up, that's the infuriating part of this.

on Jan 7th, 2010 at 1:13pm Report Abuse

Leah* wrote:

That baby was totally offensive! BLAR!

on Jan 7th, 2010 at 1:19pm Report Abuse

manaboutcowtown wrote:

Savvy company runs a "racy" bus ad in a conservative city knowing it will probably get people upset and cause outrage. Subsequently it gets pulled, creating a wave of media attention.

As a result it gets exposure in a number of mediums beyond print/bus ads and is closely examined by an entire section of people who will be against the censorship (and in a car-centric city like Calgary, by a large portion of the population that would never see the ad on public transit).

So Virgin spends a small amount of money- compared to a TV or Radio ad- on a bus ad (money it probably gets back from Calgary Transit when the ads are yanked) and in the end gets way more exposure than it could have hoped for with the ads alone.

I doubt Virgin is upset by the pull, I think it's wrong for Calgary Transit to do it and reflects poorly on the city as a whole, but part of the allure of running provocative ads is to create controversy. Even if you personally have no problem with the ads they are clearly designed to provoke.

Way to go Virgin, I bet you pay a lot of money for someone to stir the pot with your campaigns and it worked like a charm. The small number of people who will be offended by the ads are not the market for your phones anyway. It is Win-Win for you.

Calgary Transit- think about it -the only party who loses in this is you. You placate a few but anger far more who are working very hard to change the perception of the city and are already fed up with fares hikes, poor service and inefficient routes.

Drew, I agree with you completely but think there is some calculation on the part of Virgin here. Hell if I worked for their PR company I would have made the complaints myself.

on Jan 7th, 2010 at 1:24pm Report Abuse

Nathan Atnikov wrote:

I suppose Drew's argument is still relevant - perhaps even MORE relevant - in light of the fact that they decided not to even run the ad with two men kissing in Calgary. I guess they knew that one wouldn't fly.

They are, however, pulling the ads of the man and the woman kissing. So it's not solely a homophobia issue.

on Jan 7th, 2010 at 3:20pm Report Abuse

Melly Mel wrote:

Cannot the advertiser not just slap a warning label on it stating that some may find offensive. After all,this is how the television works. All they need to do is put a disclaimer at the start of the show and after each commercial break, and then they are able to include sexuality, offensive language etc.

It's sad to live in a young city as Calgary and still be censored.

F**K you Calgary Transit. If people don't like it, they don't have to look. And it's true, you brought more media to the advert without it running than you would have if it was just posted.

on Jan 8th, 2010 at 10:20am Report Abuse

J_marshall wrote:

Melly Mel wrote: "If people don't like it, they don't have to look. "

I don't think you understand. It's a poster, not a TV ad. You can't not see it. The same way you have no choice but to see the posters of aborted fetuses that were waved around at the university and at the C-Train station hours before Grey-Cup.

I personally found nothing wrong with the posters.
Worst case - a parent has to explain homosexual relationships to their 6 year old on a bus. An awkward place for the conversation, perhaps, but Calgary transit already runs ads regarding condoms, and syphilis.

on Jan 8th, 2010 at 1:30pm Report Abuse

Melly Mel wrote:

Yes, it would be an odd place for that discussion, but it would be just as uncomfortable anywhere else. Would the advert offend some, perhaps, but probably not as much as I am disgusted by having to see a very fat, like 250 lb hairy, sweaty, stinky man, walking in summer with no shirt. That's offensive!

on Feb 3rd, 2010 at 10:12am Report Abuse

J_marshall wrote:

Melly Mel wrote: "it would be an odd place for that discussion, but it would be just as uncomfortable anywhere else."

Not really. I think teaching my children about sexual relationships would be far more comfortable at home. That's not a discussion for strangers to overhear and/or participate in.






on Feb 4th, 2010 at 10:19am Report Abuse

TO0078 wrote:

A think the status of homosexuals in this city is abominable for a city with as much education and money as Calgary. I'm told that approximately two thirds of gays remain closeted at work for fear of discrimination.

I think that gays here basically behave like people raised in a country where homosexuality is a criminal offence. Most everything is done in secret, for most walking hand in hand is almost unthinkable.

I moved here from an actual city in Canada, and never once, did I feel looked down on for work because of my orientation.

Here in cow town, working for an airline no less, I'm constantly receiving awkward looks and uber masculine 'heys' (aka I'm not getting you pregnant).. many males, despite my friendly, approachable demeanor want little or nothing to do with me.

Calgary is hay seed personified, and Albertans should be ashamed of the way they treat this minority.



on Aug 6th, 2010 at 12:52pm Report Abuse


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