While marriage equality was made legal in Canada in 2005, social acceptance of the LGBT community is not yet universal. In 2008, the government of Québec expanded the Minister of Justice’s responsibility to include the fight against homophobia.
A recent provincial government survey found that although 78% of the respondents reported being comfortable with gays and lesbians, 40% remained leery about seeing two men kiss in public. In a “coudonc, t’es pas sérieux?” approach, Québec’s Ministry of Justice has responded with a $7.1 million, five-year anti-homophobia campaign. Two 30-second TV commercials in French and one radio commercial in English were created to encourage viewers to “ask themselves whether they really are open to sexual diversity.” To complement these commercials, the government has also launched an “Êtes-vous vraiment ouvert?” (Are you really open?) interactive website, which gives visitors “an opportunity to react to various situations, assess their own attitudes, learn more about various aspects of homophobia and discover the resources available.” The commercials can be viewed below.
Translation: My love, come join me in the living room. Surprise! Happy birthday, my love. Narrator: Does this change what you were thinking 20 seconds ago? Fight against homophobia.
Translation: I’ve arrived, my love. Narrator: Does this change what you were thinking 20 seconds ago? Fight against homophobia.
(Image c/o 1)
