The poster which was the subject of the complaint A complaint about an Out Takes poster showing two shirtless men about to kiss has been thrown out by the Advertising Standards Authority. "L. Paton" complained to the ASA that they were offended by the display of such an image in public places, and considered the poster to be “adult advertising that is promoting homosexuality which is unsuitable for children's viewing". While acknowledging the sincere concerns of the complainant with regard to the image's suitability for use in an outdoor environment where anyone, including children, might see it, the Authority pointed out the poster was promoting a gay film festival and was therefore not in breach of the Code for Advertising People as the image was related to the festival. It added the advertisement was not in breach of the Code of Ethics either, as "in the context of the festival it was promoting, it did not meet the threshold to be likely to cause serious or widespread offence nor offend against generally prevailing community standards", and stated the ad had been prepared with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and society. The ASA Chair ruled there were no grounds for the complaint to proceed. The winners of the Out Takes 2011 Audience Awards are due for release soon.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 30th June 2011 - 1:47pm