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Scarface: AI's new Spanish campaign

17:45 H | Topics: Activism - GLBT - Society - Spain

Amnesty International wants to draw the attention of Spanish citizens to the consequences faced by gays and lesbians in less-tolerant parts of the world. The result is a campaign featuring Spain's most prominent gay celebs with their faces mangled and bloodied as if from the violent blows of an anti-gay hate crime.

La campaña de publicidad, lanzada en Internet y prensa, utiliza la cara de estos artistas españoles para mostrar las "terribles consecuencias" de ser homosexual en algunos países del mundo. "Las imágenes son muy impactantes y llegan a la gente.

Jesus Vázquez, a popular openly gay television host gets his very cute face all messed up in the campaign. So does famed dancer Nacho Duato. The idea behind this campaign is simple: you welcome these people into your home via television, you accept them, and you wouldn't want them to end up looking like this just because they are gay.

On the Spanish AI web site, you can play an interactive game that's tinged with black humor: send Jesus Vázquez to a certain country and find out what happens. Send him to Afghanistan and you are condemning him to death. To Brunei, beatings and torture. To the U.S. -- the same. To Spain, and he'll be fine.

I find it hard to believe that Spain there is no homophobia. I find it hard to believe because I've lived there and witnessed it. Just because there's gay marriage doesn't mean all is right with the world. It's an extremely effective campaign nonetheless, and one I hope to see replicated in Latin American countries, where the need is greater.

Via / El Mundo

Photo credit: Amnesty International

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