Ahead of Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) on 31 March 2023, GAY TIMES has launched a nationwide campaign titled Statements of Solidarity that offer messages of seeing, acknowledging and supporting the transgender community across the United Kingdom.
The work is created in partnership with global creative agency WongDoody, and leads with bold statements that acknowledge the oppression trans people still face, while also celebrating the community’s resistance and progress in the face of such aggression.
The campaign takes influence from movements that created art as activism. Using the iconic work of ACT UP! (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), which started in 1988, as a catalyst, the series is intended to intervene in public and advertising spaces to disrupt the flow of normal day to day thoughts and life.
The artworks use a WongDoody custom-created font inspired by queer and trans placards seen at protests over the last 30 years, showcasing how the letters, along with the words written, hold decades of historical connotations for the LGBTQ+ community and the GAY TIMES readership.
The palette utilises colours from the trans flag; pink and blue hues overlaid with white copy acting as a recognisable beacon for the community.
“The Statements of Solidarity campaign demonstrates not only GAY TIMES’ continued and hardline support for trans+ lives, but the urgent need to spread a public and brazen message of hope for this community,” says Hollie Wong (they/them), GAY TIMES’ Senior Social Media Manager.
“Throughout our social, editorial, and commercial efforts, trans+ voices are platformed and given a space to explore the stories that celebrate this diverse and nuanced group. Today, we send a message of solidarity to them, because they deserve to be heard and seen.”
They add: “Through unflinching support of trans people against hateful opinions, the campaign also aims to celebrate the community and shows gratitude for who they are as individuals and as a collective.
“Across GAY TIMES’ social media, those who see the messages will be encouraged to share photos and videos of their view so the campaign also transcends the billboards and continues online and across social media.”
WongDoody’s Global Chief Creative and Design Officer, Grace Francis, is transgender non-binary, adds: “What do you say in an advertising campaign when your very existence is framed as controversial? You give the purest message, one of love, support and advocacy for basic human rights. Then you know anyone who is against you is peddling hate.”
Statements of Solidarity will be appearing on digital billboards across the UK. If you spot one, make sure to tag @gaytimes and we’ll be sharing Statements of Solidarity across our social channels to amplify the message further.
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