Heartwarming PSA Reminds Us That Love Has No Labels

The Ad Council’s latest campaign will get you to think about your subconscious prejudices.


http://www.takepart.com/video/2015/03/03/love-has-no-labels-psa?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2015-03-04


Video: http://www.takepart.com/video/2015/03/03/love-has-no-labels-psa?cmpid=longtailshare

March 03, 2015 By Liz Dwyer

Staff Writer Liz Dwyer has written about race, parenting, and social justice for several national publications. She was previously education editor at Good.

Most Americans would probably agree that discriminating against someone on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, or disability is wrong. But implicit bias, the subconscious snap judgments we make about other people because of learned prejudices, can sometimes get in the way of our good intentions. Now “Love Has No Labels,” a poignant PSA and campaign from the Ad Council, is challenging us to “open our eyes to our bias and prejudice and work to stop it in ourselves, our friends, our families, and our colleagues.”

In the video above, real-life couples and pairs of friends were hidden behind a gigantic X-ray screen that was set up on Valentine's Day in Santa Monica, California. At first the crowd sees skeletons that are kissing, hugging, or high-fiving. It’s only when the skeletons step in front of the screen that the audience realizes they’ve been watching pairs who often face prejudice in our society: LGBT, interracial, or older couples, friends from different faiths, and people who have disabilities.

“Before anything else, we are all human,” the Ad Council wrote on the campaign’s website. “It’s time to embrace diversity. Let’s put aside labels in the name of love.” Although the clip is a moving reminder that we’re a bag of bones underneath our exteriors, the advertising nonprofit doesn’t want folks to just watch and reach for a tissue. The “Love Has No Labels” website has a quiz that allows users to see how much implicit bias they have—after all, if you’re aware of your prejudices, you can do something about them. To that end, the Ad Council is also encouraging people to get involved with the campaign’s partner organizations, such as the Human Rights Campaign and the Southern Poverty Law Center.