ALSO’s groundbreaking anti-homophobia campaign

The ALSO Foundation is launching a unique, national TV ad campaign addressing homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

Former ALSO CEO Crusader Hillis has been overseeing the campaign called No To Homophobia. Hillis told MCV that the Department of Justice commissioned a report on homophobic harassment which was prepared by the ALSO Foundation in partnership with the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, TransGender Victoria, Anti-Violence Project Victoria, along with a reference group from government and community.

The report was delivered in June 2010 and recommended wide-ranging social marketing campaign to tackle homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. A full campaign was estimated at $300,000 but the Department of Health provided $50,000 in funding to develop a campaign featuring two 30 second television commercials.

“The campaign was designed in the second half of 2010,” Hillis said, “but because of the financial issues at the ALSO Foundation was not filmed and developed until the end of 2011 and all through this year.”

“There's a team of consultants working on the project, most of us doing it largely in a pro bono fashion. Everything from the television production company, Brand Strategy TV to the communications consultant, website developer and designer have all put in enormous amounts of work for small returns. The Human Rights Law Centre, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and headspace, have become major supporters of the campaign, either donating funds or pro bono work to develop the campaign.”

Hillis said the No To Homophobia campaign commercials will screen on free-to-air Victorian television and on Foxtel nationally. The commercials will also be available via Youtube. A No To Homophobia Facebook and Twitter group has also been created and a  postcard promoting the campaign and website will be distributed across Victoria.

Hillis said the commercials are ground breaking in that they use television and deal with all three areas of sexuality discrimination.

“There’s never been a television commercial about homophobia, let along around transphobia and biphobia.”

Hillis said the commercials are supported by a website which works on three ideas: Get Informed, Take Action and Find Support.

Information is available at the website defining different types of homophobia. People can also find information about their rights, find support agencies and learn how to take action in different scenarios.Depicting everyday scenes of low level harassment of LGBT people the commercials are aimed at mainstream Australia.

The commercials are supported by a comprehensive website which works on three ideas: Get Informed, Take Action and Find Support. Information is available at the website defining different types of homophobia. People can also find information about their rights, find support agencies and learn how to take action in different scenarios.

“An enormous amount of research from around the world was incorporated into the 2010 report, and this has been carried across into the website, and to a large extent to the social media sites on Facebook and Twitter.,” Hillis added.

The commercials are expected to be screening by the beginning of September.
Information: notohomophobia.com.au and facebook.com/notohomophobia

[Image] “Hey Princess, where’s your tiara today,” a gay employee taunted by a homophobic colleague in the ALSO Foundation’s forthcoming No to Homophobia awareness campaign. Photo: Walter Collins, Brand Strategy TV