Well, depends on who you're talking to. For the self regulating Ad Board, the organization that polices its own ranks of advertising agencies so that the bounds of decencies are observed, two palms pressing flesh is "too gay." This is in the context of the Love campaign of retail giant Bench, which tries to depict love in its manifold versions, including a granny and grandson, fiancées, and the most shocking of all (gasp!) a gay couple holding hands.
I don't really understand the concept of a gay couple being too gay, because, um, well, aren't they gay? So how can being gay be "too gay"?
Assuming we can get beyond that conceptual hurdle, we should focus on what Bench had to suddenly conjure with the planned billboard. The original photo showed the couple clasping each other's hands tenderly. The actual billboard that went up had their hands painted over with black, and all that the commuters on the giant highway that is EDSA can see is two good looking guys snuggled up close and smiling their killer smiles.
No in your face message. No giveaway. No telltale clues, even. For the clueless Filipino audience, they might well be brothers, or cousins, or pals who went through some life changing experience. One would have to do some digging before divining the fact that those two men were actually gay and (heavens!) in a homosexual relationship.
So, ultimately, Bench's plan, which was to send out the message to the Filipino world that LGBT love ranks up there with various sundry forms of love, foundered in ambiguity, painted over in black.
To think that the original concept was to depict two men kissing. Imagine what the reaction would have been if Bench had plastered two muscled creatures cavorting on some beach. That concept got weakened already into a wholesome link between two hands, a statement that symbolized strength in commitment. And yet, even this weakened concept still got shot down.
So maybe the Philippines isn't ready yet. I thought it was, after seeing skincare commercials about a girl getting in between two boyfriends, or an underwear runway show where Tim Yap came out holding some guy's hand. (Alas, they came out from the backstage fully clothed and didn't even deign to show their underwear). Then there are plenty of television soaps and movie subplots showing gay guys galore. But for a billboard? Not just yet.
Which is why Bench should keep plugging away. It should keep pushing boundaries and broadcasting messages. Flex its retail muscle into the marketplace of ideas, so that stereotypes and prejudices are broken. If this campaign hadn't been totally successful, at least, it got people to talk and share ideas.
Apparently, there's an uproar in the web, with netizens posting various "unvandalized" versions of the billboard, the guys already possessing limbs. Not the guys' own hands, but a variety of what could have beens. Lobster claws. Spongebob. Metallic joints. What have yous. They're quite funny, and what's great is, they are able to push the message out both as to LGBT acceptance as well as censorship at the same time, while keeping the conversation on a not so antagonistic level.
On that score, the Bench campaign is a success. If the message was about love and acceptance, well here you go. The message has been heard loud and clear, and the community is galvanized. Way to go Bench.
And Happy Valentine's Day to you too.