Adshel puts Junior Brisbane’s safe sex poster back up after falling victim to an orchestrated campaign by the Australian Christian Lobby
A safe sex poster created by Junior Brisbane for QAHC (Queensland Association for Healthy Communities) has erupted into controversy today after Adshel initially agreed to take it down following complaints from the community.
Adshel has subsequently reversed its decision once it became aware that the complaints were orchestrated by the Australian Christian Lobby.
The posters, promoting safe sex amongst same sex couples, were taken down last night prompting outrage and claims of homophobia from Australia’s gay community.
Says creative director of Junior, Jonathan Drapes earlier today: “Of course it’s disappointing. It’s a hugely important message. We intentionally avoided making this image overly sexual knowing that it would be in the public domain.”
The debate over who decides what can and cannot be shown in advertising is sure to rage for some time. A rally was organised in Brisbane in response to the removal of the posters. It had gained 20,000 attendees on Facebook in just 5 hours.
A statement from Adshel this afternoon said: 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.
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.
13 Comments
Sad to see this happen, it’s actually a really beautiful shot.
Very sad indeed. Good on you Jonathan:) Hope Adshel grew some balls…
It’s hardly an ad.
Mind you if they had orchestrated all the fuss that would have been clever. But they didnt so it’s just a b&w of 2 guys with a condom in the corner.
6:44.
Fuss? You obviously have no idea of the scale the removal of this poster caused. Your ignorance is upsetting. Junior fought along with everybody else for what was right, which is more than I can say for you.
Brilliant news. Congrats to all those that rallied so hard for this to happen. Nice to know change is possible.
Baffled that people can be offended by this, yet brands like American Apparel, Gucci and CK can show half naked same sex couples gyrating on each other in every campaign!
Sad, sad, sad, but good on Adshel for standing up for what the majority of the country believes in and reinstating it.
Tend to agree with 6:44.
Straight (forward) enough spot… that may have easily disappeared without the happy clappers’ brouhaha.
The Australian Christian Lobby repulse me – can’t we outlaw this disgraceful segment of our community.
As a heterosexual male just living his life I find it astounding (and very disturbing) that these fools are allowed to influence anything.
Let’s take them down!
I think the Romans had the right idea.
3.36, have a think about what you’re saying. You agree with one group, yet disagree with the other. So you suggest you should take down the group you don’t like. I think that’s called hypocrisy. Whilst I’m ambivalent about the issue and see that both sides are entitled to their opinion, gagging the voice you disagree with, puts you squarely on the same footing.
Whilst most people in this industry are open-minded, relatively intelligent and usually tolerant, I think we’re kidding ourselves if we think we represent the whole of Australia. Drive an hour in any direction out of the CBD and ask for their opinion and you’ll probabably get a far more mixed response.
OK 4.56 – I take your point but I’m thinking a ittle bit of affirmative action might be needed here.
If we persecute the Australian Christian Lobby for a while they might learn a thing or two.
You are right on my hypocrisy, I have little tolerance for those with no tolerance…
Both men are apparently wearing a cross. Seeing that the general public know that Christianity disproves of homosexuality, it is quite provocative for the creative director to include such imagery that relate to religion. He clearly wanted to create controversy to build the campaign; which clearly worked. The ACL is a political lobby group that represents it constituents; any Gay lobby group would is the same. (I just want to note that people are free to live their own lives, but if the C.D. wants to relate that sexual orientation to a religion, people who represent that religion will reply).
I hope that anyone involved in a sexual relationship would use protection in the fight against AIDS.
An interesting blog on the subject, turns out it wasn’t about homosexuality but about sexual advertising. http://breadandjustice.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/homophobia-hurts-us-all/