Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Offensive Billboards

A Guest Post by E. Fink

A couple years ago I wrote a blog post about billboards for Sex and the City 2. (What Am I Supposed To Tell My Son?) The billboards were giving me some parenting issues. My son was 7 and he was able to read the signs but could not be expected to understand what the word means in the context of Sex and the City. And I could not be expected to explain the words.

Recently, a new crop of billboards found their way into Los Angeles. The ads are for a gay hook-up app. I think it's an app that tells you if any likeminded men are in the area and are willing to do the deed with no strings attached. The ads feature a couple of strapping young men posing very provocatively mere centimeters from a very sensual kiss. 


The frum parents in the communities with these billboards went on a campaign to have these billboards removed. They email carpet bombed the marketing company that put the ads up in an effort to have them taken down. The emails went something like: "I am an orthodox Jew and I find this offensive. Please take the billboards off our streets."

It worked. The ads are coming down.

While I can appreciate the effort, I think frum Jews asserting themselves as the moral police for a neighborhood is not a great idea. I also think some of the points of this article on Gawker have merit. So while I think I am happy that the ads are coming down, I wasn't leading the charge to have them taken down to cater to my personal religious beliefs.

Search for more information about gay billboards at 4torah.com
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