Hilton hotel advert shows two men in bed and has angered the American Family Association
A new advert by worldwide hotel chain Hilton Hotels has angered the American Family Association who felt it necessary to issue a statement to vocalise their disappointment with the imagery used.
The advert, which shows two fully clothed men cuddling in bed together, was released by the hotel chain as part of a campaign featuring in Travel and Leisure Magazine.
The statement, released by the association, reads as follows:
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Travel and Leisure isn’t a gay-specific magazine sent directly to homosexual’s homes. It’s a widely distributed mainstream publication that can be found in many public places such as doctors’ or auto repair waiting rooms. If Hilton had advertised two men playing tennis, cards, or having lunch, that would have been reasonable.
However, Hilton chose to make a cultural and social statement by purposely marketing the promotion of homosexuality to a large segment of the population who finds the idea of two men sleeping together unnatural and offensive.
The founder of OutOfOffice.com, Darren Burn, said: “The backward stance of the American Family Association shows that it has yet to accept equality as a fundamental cornerstone of life. An association that self-styles itself as a ‘family’ association should not call itself such if it does not and cannot recognise every kind of family.”
The association has launched a petition which has so far attracted almost 50,000 signatures backing its cause.
Darren continued: “I admire Hilton’s advertising campaign which fits well with what we are doing. The AFA has once again shown that there is a long way to go in terms of acceptance and equality in the travel industry and that is something we are heavily focusing on at OutOfOffice.com.”
