Stonewall's rainbow-colored 'Proud Mistletoe' wards off homophobic violence

The first ever Christmas campaign from Stonewall, the British LGBTQ+ rights organization, stands up to homophobic hate crimes with a defiant symbol of love: rainbow-colored "Proud Mistletoe."

The holiday effort, created by Ogilvy London in partnership with Gay Times, comprises bunches of the mistletoe tied with a rainbow ribbon hung in the types of public places where homophobic attacks often happen: in pubs, parks, residential streets, and takeaway shops. Couples from the community were then invited to kiss underneath them, as a way to reclaim their spaces. 

The effort is supported by an online film, directed by Luis Aguer of Rebolucion, in which gay couples kiss to the track "Merry Christmas, I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight’," by Joey Ramone. Supporting activity includes digital out-of-home ads and a digital version of the #ProudMistletoe for Instagram encouraging couples to kiss underneath it. In addition, 100 bunches of proud mistletoes will be given away via social media. 

"It has been heartbreaking to see the attacks on our community across headlines and morning news bulletins this year," said Stonewall CEO Nancy Kelley, in a statement. "Every single lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer person should feel safe to be themselves, wherever they are. Sadly, in 2021, too many of us still face hate for simply being ourselves. That’s why we’re encouraging people to come together and reclaim our moments of joy with one another."

Ogilvy, which created the work via its Ogilvy Proud arm, also plans to roll out the campaign further in 2022.

"This is the launch of something bigger than an ad campaign," said Francesco Grandi, global creative director at Ogilvy. “Come next Christmas, we want the Proud Mistletoe to be in millions of homes, nationwide. We are incredibly proud to turn a 300-year-old UK tradition into a powerful symbol of equal love, and a show of strength for the community. Everyone should be free to kiss in public. Especially in a country that is meant to be one of the most open and diverse in the world. If this initiative prevents just one homophobic attack this holiday season, then we did our job.”