A sports betting company’s TV ad which invites viewers to pick out transgender ladies in the crowd at Cheltenham Festival has been suspended after outcry in Britain. The Advertising Standards Authority has received 470 complaints and is investigating the Paddy Power ad. In the advert, transwomen are shown at Cheltenham Festival and viewers invited to "spot the stallions from the mares". It was initially pre-approved by Clearcast, an NGO which guides broadcasters on advertising “Following a number of complaints over the last few days, it appears that the ad has caused offence and in consultation with broadcasters, it has been decided that the ad should no longer run on their TV or VoD services in its current format. We regret offence that may have been caused,” a statement from Clearcast reads. Bookmaker Paddy Power says it is "surprised and disappointed" with Clearcast's decision. "This decision is especially frustrating given that the commercial was already pre-approved by Clearcast, who then considered the humour in the advert, while not to everyone's taste, fell short of causing offence." It added that UK transgender group, The Beaumont Society, had given feedback on the script for the advert and stated there was "nothing untoward with the advert concept". Jennie Kermode from charity Trans Media Watch said the advert was "an attempt to offend in an effort to generate publicity".
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 27th February 2012 - 12:37pm