“Are you really open” to equality?

Quebec’s Ministry of Justice has launched a campaign to ask people if they are really as open-minded as they think about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transexual (LGBT) people. According to Marketing Magazine, it’s the province’s first large-scale, publicly funded campaign to fight homophobia.

The campaign was launched this week with TV ads (you can see one here) but what I like is the interactive version, reallyopen.com (French: vraimentouvert.com).

In this version, the viewer is taken through a number of scenarios designed to challenge his or her comfort level living and working with people who are LGBT. It’s not a particularly difficult challenge, but it does make you think.

As gentle and positive as the campaign is, it provoked inevitable backlash.

Morning TV show Salut, bonjour! asked its Facebook fans what they thought about it. More than 330 responded, and approximately 11% of those respondents said it wasn’t necessary to show two men kissing on TV, that they’re going to have to explain that to their kids. A TVA employee also received a voicemail asking the network to remove the spot showing ”two faggots kissing.”

Martine Delagrave, GM of Cossette Quebec City, commented “This is the proof this campaign was necessary.”

Read more at Marketingmag.ca