NYC billboard campaign challenges Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' legislation

Florida’s recently passed “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, which bans instruction on topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade, is seen by many as an act of exclusion that will alienate young LGBTQ+ people—and fear the bill will have larger implications for non-heteronormative speech. In contrast, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced today a campaign to express his support for queer constituents and to let any struggling Floridians know they can find an inclusive home in the Big Apple. Placed in key locations throughout Florida, the billboards denounce the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and offer an alternative: move up north. The ads take on the tell-it-how-it-is voice of New Yorkers with messages like, “When other states show their true colors, we show ours” and “People say a lot of ridiculous things in New York. ‘Don’t Say Gay’ isn’t one of them.” The mostly black-and-white text of the ads make key phrases pop in rainbow colors and each features an “NYC❤U” stamp at the bottom, reminiscent of the iconic “I❤NYC” logo. “I am the mayor of New York City, but I have a message for Florida’s LGBTQ+ community—come to a city where you can say and be whoever you want,” said Mayor Adams in a statement. “Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill is the latest shameful, extremist culture war targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Today, we say to the families living in fear of this state-sponsored discrimination that you will always have a home in New York City.” The out-of-home ads will run in high-traffic locations in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm, Florida, from April 4 to May 29, set to gain an estimated five million impressions. The creative was designed collaboratively across WPP agencies VMLY&R, GroupM, BCW, and H+K Strategies with donated ad space secured by GroupM’s Kinetic. “Each week we are seeing more alarming anti-LGBTQ+ legislation emerging across the country. The detail of the ‘Dont Say Gay’ bill is shocking to say the least,” Graham Smith, managing director of strategy and insights and global chair LGBTQ Employee Resource Group at VMLY&R, told Ad Age in an email. “It is important to support our LGBTQ+ family in any way we can, and we’re proud of this collaborative effort from WPP and its agencies to stand with the New York Mayor's office in reminding people that New York loves you.”

NYC billboard campaign challenges Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' legislation

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