Who we are - we always need to speak for our selves - it's nice to have grandparents speak in support - but we should tell our own stories.

I have always been one to fight my own battles.

Remember awhile ago I started to tell the story of our MCC congregation buying a baptist Chruch & we were told to act "normal" so we wouldn't hurt our chances of buying the Church?

Well this may be a good time to tell that story.

then I'm for it. I'm no expert on these sorts of issue ads, and maybe they think the straight people can relate to other straight people who look like them.

I personally feel that people favor equal treatment for gay people if they personally know gay people, and especially if they have openly gay siblings or children/family, or even neighbors.

So in that respect, an ad presenting a gay couple explaining why they want to be treated equally, even if done really well and diplomatically, can possibly still come off as 'shrewish' and maybe even whiney if your target audience is hostile to gay people.

On the other hand, just about everyone probably is aware of this issue, and that it will be something that needs to be thought about and addressed sooner or later, as society progresses, and so perhaps success is more likely if ad proponents are of the "Folks Like Us" model that has been used effectively in political discussions for centuries.

So I'm not sure if there is one approach that's better, or if different approaches would work better in different markets...?

This is advertising. It's meant to sway an audience in an election. I don't care if they use circus clowns doing back-flips.

We must set some kind of limits.

And that all of us should do our part. I don't think allies do us a disservice nor do I think that we do ourselves a disservice.

Last edited Fri Sep 28, 2012, 04:06 PM - Edit history (1)

I voted "don't care," but I suspect there's a very good reason for the absence of gays in these ads. 90+% of the electorate is straight, and has an easier time relating to straight voices than gay ones. Gay voices are mainly persuasive to those who already support LGBT rights, but don't win new supporters as effectively. The target is straight voters who are on the fence about LGBT issues, and that's who these ads are designed to appeal to.

Ads featuring gay speakers have a place, but I expect that to be more suited to "get out the vote" efforts.

Comming from a former homophobe, I agree with everything you wrote.

We all know that the key to greater acceptance of GLBT people hinges on being out, on being visible, on being present in every day life. If we're left out of that for the TV ads.... it just winds up being straights talking to straights about gays.

While that's important, it's not everything!

I don't watch TV, or I would have seen the ads here in MN.