Antonio M. and Miguel both sent in this commercial for a bank that ran in Argentina:
Honestly, I don’t even quite know what to say. I mean, it’s not subtle with the sentimentality and “yay for tolerance!” message, but it’s so rare to see transgender individuals depicted as anything other than ridiculous or disgusting that I watched it a couple of times and then just sat here and thought “Holy crap. Look at that.”
Often when I see companies touting their tolerance/eco-friendliness/good-neighborliness, I suspect it may be a marketing ploy with little change in actions or policies behind it–you can, for instance, celebrate Black History Month by putting up signs in your business and doing nothing else, and there’s little cost. It occurred to me after I watched the commercial that in this case the bank professed a type of tolerance that wasn’t risk-free to it. Saying your business is eco-friendly, or celebrates a civil rights hero from the past, or honors Carnival or Christmas or a local athletic team or the marching band, isn’t likely to make many people angry, which is why businesses usually stick to such safe issues. I’m by no means an expert on Argentinian culture and attitudes toward the transgender community; I’ve read that Argentinians are more accepting of people who are transgender, but I’ve also read that this acceptance is often over-exaggerated and that anti-gay and anti-transgender attitudes still exist, particularly outside of urban areas. Anyway, I assume that an Argentinian business might suffer some negative consequences from an ad like this that so openly and unequivocally advocates for acceptance, and I think it’s sort of fascinating that they decided to run it anyway.
Thoughts? Insights? Anybody know what the Argentinian transgender community thinks of the ad? Or what people in the U.S. think of it, for that matter?
(NEW!) Jody B. sent in this Progressive insurance ad, which appears to feature a gay couple:
Of course, there’s no clear evidence they’re supposed to be gay, but the one guy is wearing a shirt with what is sort of a rainbow-stripe motif, and there are two men together who aren’t talking about girls, sports, or beer, so apparently many viewers are interpreting them as a gay couple, and presumably Progressive intended that to happen, though perhaps not.
NEW! Tawny T. sent in this video from Stockholm Pride 2009 that questions how heteronormativity affects both gay and straight individuals–by making gays and lesbians invisible in many cases, and in expecting people to follow rigid gender models (i.e., to not act hurt on the athletic field) to prove their heterosexuality:
