Cranium, a
signage company in Auckland, New Zealand, has faced severe criticism from the
LGBT+ community and their supporters following what has been described as a
transphobic and tasteless billboard that appeared to mock both Caitlyn Jenner,
and the transgender community as a whole.
The billboard featured the Vanity Fair
cover image of Caitlyn Jenner, photoshopped to have her wearing a Santa hat,
with the slogan 'I hope your sack is fuller than mine this Christmas.
Merry Christmas from Cranium.'
The advertisement received hundreds of
complaints within hours, and has been reported on globally, leading the company
to censor the image.
Phillip Garratt from Cranium has
apologised on Facebook for any offense caused, saying that the billboard was
'poor judgement' on Cranium's part. He added that 'Cait is welcome at my
house with my family any time.'
Cranium attempted to appease those who had
taken offense at the advert by donating $1,000 to the LGBT+ organisation
Rainbow Youth.
Rainbow Youth welcomed the donation, but
warned that 'jokes' about the transgender community are not only insulting, but
dangerous. A spokesperson for the group commented that 'jokes' such as
this will only further marginalise the transgender community, and encourage
others not to take transgender issues seriously.
Some people have publicly ridiculed both
the apology and the donation, saying that the donation is simply an attempt to
'buy off' the LGBT+ community and an attempt to save face and lessen the damage
to the company’s reputation.
Cranium may be facing more than just
public criticism, however, as it transpires that Cranium did not obtain
permission to use the copyrighted image of Caitlyn Jenner, and that the
billboard breaches copyright law. It may also fall under the Fair Trade
Act, as it could be seen as misleading people into thinking that Caitlyn Jenner
authorised and endorsed the advert when she did not.
Amy.
xx
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