Czech the Spines on That Cactus

Ignorance buster number two this week: We were definitely not aware that the Czech Republic gay-rights folks were so strong in the graphics arts.

The Gay and Lesbian League has powerful images. Their campaigns are easily the equal or better of comparable U.S. ones. Of course, the site is in Czech, with no other language options. Even with a little college Russian, we did not get much from the words, but the images are clear.

One example pair is the current print and billboard campaign aimed at the House of Deputies, which is debating legalizing same-sex partnerships.

The cartoons of a cactus and bonsai contrast what happens with and without legal partnership protections. "One of the cartoons, for instance, shows what happens when one of the plants dies. In the first version the other plant stays with the family, while in the other one the family places it on the street next to the waste bin. This should illustrate that the bill gives the same-sex partners a right to be each other's heir."

If you can take the linguist dissonace, the site is well worth clicking around for the images. Check the Czech art in the current campaigns. On that page, the links to the posters are the bulleted items in bold. The images of gray-haired gay couples are powerful in their ability to show just how normal they are.