Can you be yourself when you leave your house?


A new campaign has launched in the Netherlands with the slogan Can you be yourself when you leave your house? (Or a more literal translation would be something like Do you have to leave yourself at home when you leave your house?) All over the country you can see billboards with this slogan and a number of different photos.

The photos show a person with a different face stuck on it. For example, a black man with a white face, a Muslim woman with a headscarfless face, a gay man holding the hand of his boyfriend with a woman’s face.

I really like this campaign. It is simple and it makes you think. At least it’s making me think. I would have liked to have some lesbians included as well, but you can’t have everything I suppose.

Seeing that poster with the gay men also made me wonder when I had last seen two guys holding hands that wasn’t during Pride or at another gay event. Nothing comes to mind, whereas I see women holding hands all the time.

This just doesn’t seem right to me. But I think the difference between gay men and lesbians by itself could probably cover several blog posts, so I won’t get into that now. For now, I just wanted to say I like this campaign.

What do you think?

Comments

Spoil Myself said…
it's interesting and I hope that it gets more people to think. Do you know what's behind it? Is it a government campaign or something to sponsor a new product or a specific company?

About women holding hands - especially in my region I'm never sure if it's only an act by straight women (which happens often enough), or really a lesbian couple. Well when one is fondling the other's ass I'm sure they're a couple *g
Natazzz said…
It's an official government campaign to get people to report incidents of discrimination more often.

It really doesn't matter whether the two women holding hands are queer or not...my point is that usually they can, whereas the same liberty is often not given to guys.
unfolder said…
I like the initiative. It does indeed make me think ... I just hope it'll also touch the hearts of the people who actually discriminate.

In any case, awareness is always a good thing of course.
Sanne said…
There are lesbians in the campaign on tv: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ3A7DyPYnE
Natazzz said…
Thanks Sanne. See, I should watch more television...or at least more commercial breaks...