Ireland: Mobile phone advert deemed transphobic by media watchdog
by Scott Roberts
21 December 2012, 4:02pm
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/21/ireland-mobile-phone-advert-deemed-transphobic-by-media-watchdog/The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) has upheld complaints against Irish mobile phone company Meteor over a transphobic advert.
The 42 second promotion depicts a young man dancing with a drag artist in order to use a bar's free Wi-Fi.
When he realises that Meteor offers a free internet package, the man stops dancing and leaves the bar, while the drag queen spots another unassuming customer at the entrance to the bar.
The advert has been branded as "encouraging a cheap laugh at the expense of trans people" by TENI, the Transgender Equality Network in Ireland.
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21 DEC 2012
Complaints against Meteor's advertisement upheld
http://www.teni.ie/news-post.aspx?contentid=749The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) has upheld complaints against Irish telecommunications company Meteor for an advertisement that promoted transgender stereotypes and encouraged a cheap laugh at the expense of trans people.
The ASAI reviewed the complaints and the response of the advertiser and found that "the advertisement must not appear again in the same format."
In October, TENI galvanized people to speak out against the ad with a twitter campaign #MeteorShame which trended in Ireland for several hours on 16th October and was tweeted over 1300 times. The campaign featured recent comments from trans people on how they felt about trans representation in the media. It highlighted the exacerbation of depression and debilitating isolation to which irresponsible media directly contributes.
