The huge response to the removal of a safe sex ad from Queensland bus shelters means it will be reinstated. More than 25,000 people joined a "Rip and Roll'' Facebook support group after their safe sex advertisement targeting gay men was pulled down. The Queensland Association for Healthy Communities started the group after Adshel removed the ad featuring an image of a gay couple embracing, holding an unopened red condom packet, under pressure from the Christian lobby. The company said changed its mind because it did not realise it had been subjected to a campaign from the Australian Christian Lobby to remove the posters. “Following ACL Queensland director Wendy Francis’ acknowledgement that the complaints received by Adshel, Brisbane City Council and the Advertising Standards Bureau regarding QAHC’s campaign have been orchestrated by the Australian Christian Lobby, Adshel is reinstating the ‘Rip and Roll’ campaign," a company press release said. "Adshel earlier responded to a series of complaints by removing the campaign from its media panels yesterday. None of the complaints indicated any liaison with the ACL, so Adshel was made to believe that they originated from individual members of the public.” Adshel CEO Steve McCarthy said in a statement: “It has now become clear that Adshel has been the target of a coordinated ACL campaign. This has led us to review our decision to remove the campaign and we will therefore reinstate the campaign with immediate effect.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 2nd June 2011 - 11:01am