New group urges industry to support trans+ community

A new cross-industry collective has been launched to encourage action to support the trans+ community among marketing and communications leaders and bring an end to so-called “dirty attention” in online advertising.

Allies Coming Out for Trans+ (ACT+) has been set up by Creative Equals, Outvertising, Smarty Pants, The Unmistakables and Utopia and will join forces to provide positivity as well as practical and tangible ways that leaders in the industry can come forward as allies in what is expected to be a General Election year.

ACT+ will kick-off with an executive briefing to agency CEOs and brand owners at an event at Google’s Kings Cross Office on April 30 2024 and comes at a time of a record breaking number of hate crimes against trans+ people in England and Wales according to the Home Office.

A recent report recognised that “transgender issues have been heavily discussed by politicians, the media and on social media over the last year, which may have led to an increase in these offenses, or more awareness in the police in the identification and recording of these crimes”.

The collective argues that this is an even more important task following Ofcom chairman Michael Grade’s address to the industry that we must “get ahead of the harm” and make “trust and safety a priority”, at the Lead Conference last month.

Outvertising’s Consumer Research report found that 60% LGBTQIA+ people in the UK are more likely to say that brands should express their views on political or social issues, and 64% say they are more likely to reject a brand if its views are not aligned with their own.

Half (50%) of non-LGBTQIA+ people say the same. More importantly, the majority of people say they are “not prejudiced” toward transgender people. And, critically, marketers are aligned: three in four say the Bud Light fallout did not change their attitude towards purpose, according to the latest Contagious Radar report.

Companies that have joined the collective include Bloom, Cannes Lions, Contagious, D&AD, Join Our Table, Pocc, Reckitt Benckiser, SheSays, Trans in the City, Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, YouTube, WACL, WARC and WPP Unite.

The executive briefing will gather agency and brand leaders including WPP and Google in an evening of discussion, including interrogating the media being funded to end ‘dirty attention’, specifically advocating for the divestment from disinformation and sensationalism, and increasing representation in the industry’s creative output.

Outvertising joint CEO Marty Davies (pictured) said: “The media and advertising industry talks a big game. Last year, the biggest agencies and industry bodies committed to advocating for the divestment from disinformation in the media yet problematic platforms still remain within media plans.

“This has real and painful societal consequences. Packaging up distorting and sensationalising trans+ lives to make money is increasing hate and harm.

“But our identities are not something to be warped for cash. ACT+ seeks to give direction to industry leaders to put actions behind their commitments – as a collective. We are drawing attention to the urgency and empowering all to have proactive conversations with agencies, clients and tech partners to improve visibility, identify the right divestment decisions and increase representation in the creative work itself.”