Austin agency GSD&M teamed up with director Richard Linklater to tackle Texas’ proposed Senate Bill 6 (SB6) for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and Legacy Community Health. SB6 would force transgender people to use the bathroom of their birth sex, rather than the gender they identify with.
This week, the Donald Trump issued an executive order reversing Obama-enacted protections for transgender students, claiming such responsibilities should be left up to state and local governments. While the ad was created before the Trump administration’s decision, it certainly gives it added weight at a time when the issue of transgender rights is in the spotlight.
“Taking a Seat, Making a Stand” calls on viewers to demonstrate their opposition to Texas’ proposed law as the issue is presently in the nation’s spotlight. Adweek reports that Linklater shot the ad in GSD&M’s Austin office, including its bathrooms, of course. “Now we can stop the bill, but there’s only one way,” says one contributor near the beginning of the ad. “You’ve gotta roll up your sleeves, pull down your pants, and pee with LGBT,” adds another.
The spot continues with a mix of playful slogans, such as “spray it to say it,” and reasons to oppose the bill, such as the argument that “money should be spent keeping kids in school, not out of bathrooms,” and that SB6 is bad for businesses. It concludes with the message, “This isn’t a privacy issue. This is a discrimination issue” before prompting viewers to take action by contacting Texas lawmakers.
Adweek points out that GD&M’s ad skips over some of the nuances of the bill, which actually addresses changing facilities as well, in its desire to communicate a simple message. It’s a perhaps understandable move, though, as it would be hard to squeeze the intricacies of the proposed bill into a 60-second spot that people will actually watch and share, and the message that “”This isn’t a privacy issue. This is a discrimination issue” remains the same.