A great pro-equality commercial/public service ad by Björn Borg, a Swedish clothing company. I had seen the ad on TV in Scandinavia several times, but I can guarantee you it won't be allowed to be aired in the Philippines or anywhere else in Asia -- it would cause an uproar for sure. That's unfortunate because it's a beautiful ad, and kudos to the Björn Borg Company for making it!
("True Colors" sung by Ane Brun of Norway.)
.
3 comments:
this is sick and disgusting
Mr. Erik, I would like to thank you for your efforts here on this website. I am a 52 year old father of five in the Philippines, and one of my son is gay. When he first told his mother and me about it we were very upset and disappointed. He is not girl-acting so it was quite a shock. "We did not raise him to be that way, so how could this happen to our family" was what my wife said to me with tears in her eyes. My son left our home because of our strong disapproval of that lifestyle, and it caused great conflict in our home and family.
I knew very little about homosexuality. I knew only that it is a very grave sin. I did not know any gay people in my family, but only had saw some "bakla" (girl-acting gay) around in the place where we live and all through my life my friends and I always teased them and said bad things about them and to them. I am very ashamed of the way I acted, but we all did it. It is accepted to be mean to gays you know.
It has now been almost four years since that time when my son told me he is gay, and we did not see each other because of the disagreements and conflicts it caused. But now I can say that I know that it was not my son or his sexuality that caused the conflicts and disappointment. It was me. It was the stubborness of me and my wife. I pushed away my son, he did not push me away. His sexuality did not push us apart, I pushed us apart because of my fear and my ignorance.
I am in a process of changing now, and I would like to thank you for helping me to that. I found this site by accident on google search, and I have been reading alot and learning alot on here. Now my son and I are talking again. Two weeks ago he was at home for a visit and it was a very nice time. I still have so much to learn because it is not easy to change a mindset that I have had ever since, but I love my son and I know he cannot do anything about the way God made him. He deserves to love and to be loved. Please keep this site and continue in your work. It is helping people like me to understand and learn and grow and become a better man and better father. Thank you and more power!
@Dexter:
Kind sir, I thank you for your honesty, your candor, and your kind words. It brought me great joy to read of your personal journey, and I'm honored to have been of help.
It is clear to me that you are a good man and a good father. Your willingness to be honest with yourself, to learn new things, to lift the cultural blinders from your eyes, and to desire the best for your son, are proof of that fact. The true measure of a man is his ability to grow, to love unconditionally, and to show understanding amidst difficult circumstances. I know this has not been an easy journey for you and your family, and you have my utmost respect in your new-found open-mindedness. You are a pride to your family, and an inspiration.
I hope that your relationship with your son continues to strengthen. Your observations that your son deserves to love and to be loved, and that he cannot help the way he was born, are absolutely true. Your son is lucky to have a father like you, because, unfortunately, many LGBTs in the Philippines (and around the world) do not have the luxury of having a parent like that in their life. Many parents simply remain in a state of anger, fear and ignorance, remain stubborn and closed-minded, and cause unnecessary turmoil in their families. Many then blame their gay child for the discord, rather than realizing that their own inability to listen, learn, and grow are actually to blame.
You now know that. You were willing to learn and push through your fears. THAT is the mark of a man. I only wish there were people like you within the halls of Philippine government. You now have the ability to be a good example to other parents and families in your community who may also have LGBT children, and to perhaps make amends for hurtful actions of the past by showing respect, friendship, and defending gays and lesbians who you see being harassed or bullied. Show the way, lead the way, and good luck on your continued journey my friend.
Post a Comment
Please be decent and respectful, and please post all comments in English so that everyone can understand. Thanks!