Think B4 You Speak
Think Before You Speak
National PSA Campaign Features actress Hilary Duff and Comedian Wanda Sykes
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) joined with The Advertising Council today to launch the first national multimedia public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to address the use of anti-gay language among teens. The campaign launch coincides with the release of GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey, which found that nearly nine in ten lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens report having been verbally harassed in the past school year, and almost half have been physically harassed because of their sexual orientation.
The campaign will be unveiled Friday by actress Hilary Duff, who stars in one of the new television PSAs, at GLSEN’s annual Respect Awards – Los Angeles gala. Comedian Wanda Sykes appears in another TV spot created for the campaign.
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LGBT teens in the U.S. experience homophobic remarks and harassment throughout the school day, creating an atmosphere where they feel disrespected, unwanted and unsafe. GLSEN’s new survey found that three-quarters of LGBT teens hear slurs such as “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school, and nine in ten reports hearing anti-LGBT language frequently or often. Homophobic remarks such as “that’s so gay” are the most commonly heard type of biased remarks at school. Research shows that these slurs are often unintentional and are a part of teens’ vernacular. Most do not recognize the consequences, but the casual use of this language often carries over into more overt harassment.
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The new campaign aims to raise awareness among straight teens about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens. The campaign also aims to reach adults, including school personnel and parents, because their support of this message is crucial to the success of efforts to change behavior among the target age group.
”We are proud to partner with the Ad Council on this groundbreaking campaign to address anti-LGBT language,” said GLSEN Founder and Executive Director Kevin Jennings. “Every student has a right to feel safe in school free from bullying and harassment. When students do not feel safe, they struggle to learn. This campaign will help educate young people about the harmful language many of them commonly use.”
Created pro bono by ad agency ArnoldNYC, the campaign includes television, radio, print, outdoor and Web advertising. The TV ads feature scenarios in which the term “that’s so gay” is used casually in an effort to help teens recognize that their anti-LGBT language is harmful. The ads conclude with Wanda Sykes in one TV spot, and Hilary Duff in another, urging teens to “knock it off.” The campaign hopes to motivate teens to become allies in the efforts to raise awareness, stop using anti-LGBT language, and safely intervene when they are present and anti-LGBT harassment and behavior occurs. The PSAs direct audiences to visit a new comprehensive website, www.ThinkB4YouSpeak.com.
“We are proud to join with GLSEN on this very important campaign, the first to address the common use of anti-LGBT language and its harmful effects,” said Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of the Ad Council. “When we tested the new ads with teens, they found the approach to be realistic and identifiable. I believe this campaign will open their eyes to the dangers of using this language and, ultimately, create a safer environment for LGBT students.”
“We have a responsibility as communicators to help inform a very prevalent behavior that most teens have never thought twice about, and then leave it up to them to do the right thing,” said John Staffen, Chief Creative Officer, ArnoldNYC.
The website,
www.ThinkB4YouSpeak.com, provides tips on how to support LGBT issues and the opportunity for visitors to take a stand against anti-LGBT language through an interactive pledge form that will allow teens to “say something original,” by sharing alternatives to “that’s so gay.” The site also includes a dictionary-type tool that illustrates a word’s meaning and the notion of understanding one’s choice of words. Additional features include an e-card and a video library that calls for user submissions.
The new ads are being distributed to approximately 33,000 media stations nationwide this week. Per the Ad Council’s donated media model, all of the new ads will air and run in advertising time and space donated by the media. Media companies, including MTV (Music Television), have made early commitments to support the campaign.
Beginning this week, an integrated social media program will further the reach of the public service messages on popular social networking sites and blogs targeted to teens. Partnerships with Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) will also engage students in chapters and student clubs throughout the country. Launch activities will continue next week to coincide with National Ally Week (October 13 – 17), a week that focuses on encouraging “allies” to sign a pledge to help stop bullying and harassment of LGBT teens.
Online classified ads service Craigslist will get rid of its "erotic services" category that critics called a front for prostitution, replacing it with an adult category that will be reviewed by Web site employees, state attorneys general announced Wednesday.
Pressure to remove the category increased this spring after a Boston medical student was charged with killing a masseuse who authorities say he met through Craigslist. Two months ago, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart filed a lawsuit alleging that Craigslist allowed the solicitation of prostitution and had created the "largest source of prostitution in America."
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the attorneys general of Connecticut and Missouri met with Craigslist officials last week seeking an end to ads they contended were advertisements for illegal sexual activities. Madigan's office said Wednesday such existing ads on the Craiglist Web site will expire in seven days.
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